Community Associations Institute [CAI] – Condo – HOA – Conference & Expo 2023 - Rosemont, IL

 

We were back at the CAI condo-HOA conference & expo this year on Friday, February 10^th, 2023.  We set up our booth to visit with homeowners, property managers and other trades who do work for Associations.

The Community Associations Institute [CAI] is an international membership organization dedicated to building better communities.  CAI has over 40,000 members and 64 chapters worldwide and provides information, education and resources to homeowner volunteers who govern communities and the professional who support them.

Colley Elevator has been coming to the show for the last 11 years and has a very positive experience at these conventions.

 

 We had some great Colley ambassadors spent the day talking to existing customers, potential customers and other trades that where showing there who we have mutual interests.  We heard a lot of compliments of our service and fielded questions on new codes, requirements and talked about potential leads.  The show also had opportunities for homeowner education which we got a chance to sit in on.

One of the cool things about the show is to bump into people that you may have traded emails with or talked on the phone with and meet them in person.  I heard a “I just want to let you know that you guys are great and made our transition into managing this building very easy when we took over at XXXX Street.”  That is great to hear!  Go Team Colley!  We also got to spend time with our friends over at VDA, who were also presenting, VDA is a great elevator consulting firm across the country.

Thank you again to the CAI for having us at the show and we look forward to working with you more in the future.  

We also are giving away a Walter Payton Jersey for those who sign up for our newsletter before 3/3/23, so get your name on the list!

If you have any questions or would like additional information feel free to contact me at CraigZ@colleyelevator.com or 630-766-7230 ext. 107.

Elevator picture Hall of Fame 2023 – Superbowl of Elevators

The Hall of Fame posts are typically some of the more popular blogs in the Colley blog history. We get to see a lot of elevators during the year at our initial visits for pricing or during engineering for projects.  Of the hundreds of elevators and thousands of pictures we look at, these are some of the gems I've seen this past year.

 

Olive Oil – Popeye the cartoon was on every once in a while when I was younger and was always a treat.  Bluto would mess with Popeye, somehow Olive Oil would get involved then Popeye would eat his spinach and save the day. Lots of things going on in this elevator pit; 2 pit buckets, a rec pump and lots of oil.  I’ll give it to the elevator that it is a very crummy cylinder head but holy smokes!  This elevator pit needs some spinach.

 

Art class is for creativity – I like to think I was creative and orbited creative people; artists, musicians, metal workers, etc.  While I try, that part of my brain never developed as much as my friends/coworkers.  There is a place and time for creativity and that time is not for emergency hoist way opening devices.

 

The teacher gave you a D – Bozo called and said he needs a new Cookie. I’ll check the check charts and make my recommendation. This is from getting a call to go to a building and bid maintenance and a project that a consultant was part of.  The elevator maintenance company was coming to the building monthly, but the building got a “D” grade for maintenance from the consultant.  As an industry we can do better, this car top is a disappointment. 

 

All Star– Do you remember that song from the band Smashmouth?  They had a few singles, but now they have a great gig doing summer dates with Sugar Ray and probably making some good money on nostalgia.  Well the singer of Smashmouth had a personal implosion and broke up the band.  I think it would be pretty cool to play weekend festivals and get paid $20,000 to 40,000 per show.  I don’t know if I remember seeing two egress levels before, maybe the guy from Smashmouth is the Braille guy for an elevator company and only puts up star Braille.  We would hire him just to say we work with the guy from Smashmouth.

 

When it rains it pours– One of my favorite bands is a group called Jawbreaker who had the Morton Salt girl on their shirts for the longest time.  Jawbreaker ended up signing to a major label and put a great record out but it was ahead of its time. They eventually broke up and then we all caught up and now love this record.  In Chicago we had a super storm that clocked the neighborhood in Chicago called Rogers Park. This neighborhood was mainly constructed in the late 1960s and most of the elevators do not have sumps.

 

Your hair is everywhere– There was a guy from Florida called Chris Carrabba who was in a few bands, most notably Dashboard Confessional, and hit it big by singing a song called “Screaming Infidelities”.  I always wondered where all the hair that he mentions in his song went. I would imagine this is 30 years of hair that has collected here, is this hair screaming infidelities? 

 

Free storage – In a lot of residential buildings we take care of you need to pay for storage or buy the unit.  A few people know the secret room where you can jam in all your stuff for free - our elevator room!  And thank you to the building for doing this because we, as elevator personnel, love moving your stuff out of the machine room to service your elevator.  The bright side is that we can give the people waiting for the broken elevator to be fixed a chair to sit on and pumpkins to play with while they wait. 

 

Who done it? – Professor Plum in the cloak room with the candle stick.  I know we don’t like Madison controllers and they all should have been modernized by now but Holy Smokes!  License and registration please.  

 

Snake eyes– I always wanted to know why Snake Eyes didn’t talk and Storm Shadow did?  Why was Snake Eyes in black and was good and Storm Shadow in white and bad?  We cleaned up a packing leak at an industrial facility the other day and found this little fella in our elevator pit.  I'm color blind but did you notice that Cobra Commander wore Dover blue in the 1980s?   Could Cobra Commander have been the CEO of Dover Elevator?  Destro his #2?  What did the Baroness do?  Is Serpentor in charge of TKE?

John Dodds and Dustin Witham I’m thinking of you guys as the Super Bowl is happening and hope you brokered some type of friendly wager.  

If you have any questions or would like additional information feel free to contact me at CraigZ@colleyelevator.com or 630-766-7230 ext. 107.

Hydraulic Elevator Modernization – Norridge, IL

 

This is a story about elevators installed in 2000 by Schindler Elevator.  The challenges with these specific cars was the control platform[no technical support], part availability and reliability.  The campus developed a capital plan for all of their elevators while working with an elevator consultant.  These two were next on the list to be replaced.

Existing elevator & project scope – We replaced the elevator controller, fixtures, door operators with associated door equipment and the hydraulic power unit.

New equipment providers

Controllers – Smartrise Engineering

Door operators – GAL MOVFR w/new ECI door equipment

Fixtures – Innovation Industries

Power unit – MEI with Maxton valves

Elevator controller – The existing elevator had a Schindler/Westinghouse MPH 2 control system that, in our opinion, needed to be replaced due to reliability issues, proprietary nature of controller[no technical support] as well as part availability.  The new Smartrise control system will allow the building to have technical support as well as a much easier time getting parts.

[Existing Schindler/Westinghouse MPH 2 control system]

[New Smartrise Engineering hydraulic elevator controller]

Elevator door operators – We replaced the original GAL ECI door operator with a GAL MOVFR door operators and replaced the ECI door equipment with new ECI door equipment.

 

[Existing ECI door operators]

[New GAL MOVFR door operators]

Elevator fixtures – We installed Innovation Industries hall and car fixtures to replace the original Schindler/Westinghouse fixtures. The new car panel complies with the recently mandated A17.1.2019 code which requires two way visual communications designed for hearing-impaired riders.

 

[Old Westinghouse/Schindler Elevator car station]

[new Innovation Industries car station with visual text feature]

[This car station has a camera, screen to read text communication and yes and no buttons]

Hydraulic power unit – We removed the Schindler submersible power unit with UV5 valves and installed an MEI Elevator submersible power unit with a Maxton UC4 hydraulic control valve.  The controllers mounted on the front is easier to install but harder to work on because you need to get on your hands and knees (or bent over) to see everything.

 

[Existing hydraulic power units with EECO UV 5 valves and controllers mounted on the front]

[New MEI power units with controllers mounted on the wall at eye level so you can easily work on them]

[New MEI valves and inflatable muffler to reduce noise]

Take away – This building has a plan to replace all of their elevators because they need reliable vertical transportation for their population.  The building has a plan and list of the elevators in order of need and is capitalizing them each year to spread out the projects/cost.

Team work– The sales person and the project team who finishes typically get the glory on a project.  In between the initial contract sale and the final acceptance are many other people who work on the project to make it successful.  From the truck driver to the engineer to the billing department to the assist when needed 12 Colley Elevator employees where involved in the project and we had tremendous team work on it.  Thank you everyone without you we would not have had such a successful delivery!  Let’s not forget our great material supplier participation!

Team work with the building – We have a great building owner who we can work with hand and hand with the challenges that pop up, this helps tremendously to make a smooth project.  Great communication, great team work, great results.

If you have any questions or would like additional information feel free to contact me at CraigZ@colleyelevator.com or 630-766-7230 ext. 107.

Also check us out on Instagram @Colleyelevator see what we have been up to.

NAEC Spring Conference – 4/16/23-4/19/23 – Waikoloa Beach, Hawaii

 

The National Association of Elevator Contractors is having their spring educational conference April 16^th – 19^th, 2023 in beautiful Waikoloa Beach, Hawaii.  The NAEC offers a robust agenda of education, business development, and professional introductions that make the event a celebrated annual institution for the NAEC membership.

From invaluable educational content and exceptional networking opportunities to well-deserved relaxation time, Spring Conference provides attendees an engaging venue for furthering their professional knowledge and connections while enjoying the moment.

Agenda

Sunday, April 16

2023-04-16

11:00am - 4:00pm

Registration & Hospitality

2023-04-16

1:15pm - 2:45pm

Accessibility and Residential Committee Meeting

2023-04-16

3:00pm - 4:00pm

Associate Member Session

2023-04-16

3:00pm - 4:00pm

Contractor Member Session

2023-04-16

3:00pm - 4:00pm

Supplier Member Session

2023-04-16

7:00pm - 9:00pm

Welcome Reception

 

Monday, April 17

2023-04-17

6:00am - 12:00pm

Registration

2023-04-17

7:00am - 8:15am

Opening Breakfast

2023-04-17

8:30am - 12:00pm

Education Sessions

2023-04-17

12:00pm - 6:30pm

Official Golf Tournament

 

Tuesday, April 18

2023-04-18

7:30am - 12:00pm

Registration

2023-04-18

8:30am - 12:30pm

Education Sessions

2023-04-18

5:30pm - 6:30pm

Cocktail Reception

 

Wednesday, April 19

2023-04-19

7:30am - 12:00pm

Registration

2023-04-19

8:30am - 12:30pm

Education Sessions

2023-04-19

7:00pm - 9:00pm

Dregs Party (Luau Edition!)

To register, follow the link below to register online.  The deadline for registering for the conference at the discounted rate is Friday, February 17^th, 2023.  Registration fees increase after this date.

https://www.naec.org/conference/registration.html

Contact Danielle Miller at Danielle@naec.org for any questions.

 

Bloggers personal experience – I have met so many people through the NAEC and their events that have helped me professionally.  This event is a more laid back experience then the convention where you get to talk to people on a more one on one basis.  If I didn’t have 3 little ones at home I would be booking my ticket to Hawaii.

 

If you have any questions or would like additional information feel free to contact me at CraigZ@colleyelevator.com or 630-766-7230 ext. 107.

 

Also check us out on Instagram @Colleyelevator see what we have been up to.

Colley Cares – Colley Elevator gives back – 4th Quarter 2022

As we wrap up our year end and move on to a new year we are donating money to 5 great groups that are suggested by Colley Elevator employees.  This has become such a cool program that allows Colley Elevator employees to help the philanthropic organizations they feel strongly about.  We will be sending our donations out shortly.  Thank you team Colley and thank you to these great groups that do great things every day!

History on Colley Cares - Colley Elevator has had a history of making donations to our customer’s causes, foundations, fundraisers, etc. During the last 2.5 years Colley Elevator has done several additional philanthropic initiatives to give back to our communities amid the Covid 19 pandemic.  During one of our sales meetings we came up with a new way to give back; we will be making an additional donation when we book each one of our projects to one of five different organizations. 

4th Quarter group

 

Christmas without Cancer – https://christmaswithoutcancer.org/ - Christmas Without Cancer is a non-profit organization that provides holiday gifts, as well as basic necessities to local families that are stricken with cancer. The organization was started, in 2003, by an oncology nurse, working in Oak Lawn, Illinois.  This was suggested by our elevator mechanic Justin L.

 

McHenry Cancer Center - https://www.nm.org/conditions-and-care-areas/cancer-care/cancer-support-services/-  This is a group that offers services for cancer patients in the McHenry, IL area.  This was a suggestion from elevator mechanic Kent E.

 

Howard Brown - https://howardbrown.org/ - I knew this group as a HIV/AIDs service provider from my time in the City.  They do so much more!  Great group!  Happy we get to the their service provider at a few locations.  This suggestion was a Colley choice to work with one of our great customers.

 

Take a vet fishing  - https://www.takeavetfishing.org/ - I know some vets, I know some vets that really like fishing.  I know some vets who love fishing but can’t get out by themselves anymore.  This is a great thing!  This was a suggestion elevator mechanic Jim B.

 

Care for breast cancer – Care4BreastCancer.org -
The Care4 Breast Cancer 5K is in its 22nd year and raises funds for uninsured individuals who are in need of breast cancer preventative service, screenings and education.  This suggestion was from our office Cathy H.

 3rd Quarter group – We sent all of our 3^rd quarter Colley Cares funds to Victims of Highland Park shooting.

Other groups we previously supported through Colley Cares

4Ocean

American Cancer Society

Elmhurst York Food Pantry

Greater Chicago Food Depository

Haymarket Center

Maryville Academy

NEDSRA

One Tail at a Time

Pillars Community Health

Ray Graham Association

Boy Scouts of America

Boys & Girls Club Impact Center

Red Cross – Ukraine Support

Gateway Green

Toy Box Connection

Bensenville Food Pantry

Howard Brown

Luries Childrens Hospital

Ronald Mc Donald House

MADD

Save a Pet

McHenry County Cancer & Adult Developmental

Locks of Love

Red Cross - Hurricane

If you are reading this and have a group that we haven’t covered in this, send over your suggestions!  We are always looking for new groups to support.

Hey! Sign up for our mailing list!  Top right corner of the blog.

If you have any questions or would like additional information feel free to contact me at CraigZ@colleyelevator.com or 630-766-7230 ext. 107.

Also check us out on Instagram @Colleyelevator see what we have been up to.

Elevator Pit Water Damage – Hydraulic Elevator

 

In the Chicagoland area we have water challenges on a regular basis.  The more buildings that go up, the less places we have for the water to go.  Pave the World!  One of the unintended consequences of developing so much land and building facilities in places that probably aren’t the best for them, at least building a basement or a lower landing, is that we will have water coming in the lowest part of the building, which is typically the elevator pit. High water tables and lower landings are not a good mix.

We recently were doing work at one of our newer customer’s buildings that was in dire need of a refresh of their pit equipment.  Here is what happens, water comes in, water goes out, water comes in, sump pump stops working, water stays, and when the water is evacuated the pipes begin to deteriorate, like a cavity in your mouth, the rusting/deterioration process does not stop.   Over time we have a safety issue with the integrity of the pipe.

Here are some before and after pictures

 

[Water damaged pit with rusty piping]

[Pit after victaulic and pipe replacement]

[Close up of pipe damage - I bet if you saw this you wouldn't ride this elevator]

Take away – Make sure you have an elevator contractor visiting your building on a regular basis.  Make sure your elevator contractor looks in the pit and makes sure your sump is working.  Make sure your elevator contractor lets you know if your sump is not working and make an appointment for your elevator contractor to open the hoistway door for the plumber to fix the sump.  NOTE!  Elevator contractors do not fix sumps, but we can give the building safe access to the elevator pit.

[This is from years of water exposure in the elevator pit - The building sumps cannot keep up with the water table]

Extra Note – If you know your building takes water and your sumps are working on the regular, have an extra sump around, it comes in handy on the weekend when your sump fails and your elevator does a big splash into the water filled pit.

 If you have any questions or would like additional information feel free to contact me at CraigZ@colleyelevator.com or 630-766-7230 ext. 107.

 Also check us out on Instagram @Colleyelevator see what we have been up to.

New Construction – Hydraulic Elevators – Chicago Public Schools

 

In 2022 we had the opportunity to complete a few new construction projects.  We do a handful of new construction projects a year, typically for people who do not want to work with proprietary elevator systems or have a bad taste in their mouth from other experiences from OEMs.  As an independent elevator company in a major market our OEMs[Otis, Schindler, TK, Kone] have very competitive pricing on new construction elevators.  The rub on the good price is different customer support, construction support, domain knowledge and the biggest one is what you are going to pay when the elevator is completed and you have to hire an elevator maintenance provider for ongoing maintenance and annual testing.

Some of our new construction projects this year were with the Chicago Public Schools [CPS], the largest school system in the state of Illinois and one of the largest school systems in the nation.

Unique needs – The Chicago Public School system is working on making some of their very old buildings more accessible. The Chicago Public Schools has a great elevator consultant, Joe Donnelly, who crafted a CPS standard elevator, so the same elevator is installed at all CPS locations.  This makes it very easy for the owner[CPS], GCs and installers because every elevator more or less is the same as the last one. This standard does not allow for borehole jacks for environmental concerns and requires non-proprietary equipment so any elevator company can maintain the elevators after they are turned over. 

Elevator Equipment used – At this specific CPS site we used a Minnesota Elevator package with the following equipment

            Elevator controller - Motion Control Engineering

            Cylinders – ITI Hyraulik

            Door equipment – GAL

            CAB/Sling/Platform – MEI

            Power unit – MEI w/Maxton valve

            Fixtures - Innovation Industries

Before the start of the project – Long before we step foot onsite for installation, there is a lot of work with the elevator company office and the GC.  Many visits to the building during construction to make sure the pit is the right size, inserts are in the walls in the right places, sump pit is in the right spot, machine room is the right size. In this specific event we had a great GC to work with from day one to completion; George Sollitt – Wood Dale, IL.

[Walking the steel with the GC] 

[New elevator pit needs to be verified] 

When the building is up – When the building is up, we needed to work with the GC on hoistway measurements and where are attachments are.

[Hoistway is built per our specs] 

[Inserts are in per our specs] 

[Pit is in with the sump per our specs] 

Mobilization – When we mobilize on a construction it is sometimes challenging to work among the other trades because the buildings have a lot going on.  In this event they are building classrooms, gymnasiums, parking lots, roofs, walls, installing lockers, lighting, fire system, building power, stages, stair wells, floor finishes, bathrooms, etc.  A lot of people, a lot of coordination.  We have to work with the GC and other trades to make sure we get everything we need to complete a portion of the project.

Specific challenges – During 2022 we had an issue getting our local utility to get us power and if it wasn’t getting power, it was getting switch gears, transformers and other larger power equipment.  It is hard to build a building if you do not have any power to power it.

[Main landing/main egress after building is completed] 

[Car top with telescoping pistons & GAL door equipment] 

[Elevator pit when everything is completed] 

Thank you – I would like to thank the Colley Team for doing an incredible job from our truck drivers who navigated deliveries through the gnarly load in and load out areas to our field team who did a great installation.  This project had 12 different Colley Elevator Company people work on it from contract signing, permitting, engineering, deliveries, field assistance, installation, certified payroll, close out docs, close out meetings and final billing.  We had an exceptional GC who was great to work with onsite, thank you George Sollit.  We had a great equipment partner at MEI, thank you MEI.

Take away – The Chicago Public Schools in my opinion are doing a great job of insulating themselves from having elevator equipment that may cause headaches and be difficult to economically maintain in the future.  The main item is having nonproprietary equipment that allows any elevator contractor to be able to have access to technical support and replacement parts.  When pricing out new elevator systems you need to look at the 20 year cost for the equipment, not just the installation cost.

If you have any questions or would like additional information feel free to contact me at CraigZ@colleyelevator.com or 630-766-7230 ext. 107.

Also check us out on Instagram @Colleyelevator see what we have been up to.