Year in reflection - Colley Elevator blog - 2020 Elevator blog

 

In 2019 I started with “What a year!”.  In 2020, that statement is echo’d for different reasons.   Pandemic, social unrest, political strife, fires, hurricanes, etc. Wow!  Through the roller coaster year we have had the opportunity to serve with some incredible people that help keep the wheels on.  For that.  Thank you!  As Colley Elevator enters our 113 year as an independent elevator contractor we reflect on a few things to tie up the end of the year.

Annual reflection – This year we saw our maintenance portfolio grow from 1650 to 1850 elevators under contract. This year we ordered/installed 50 Smartrise controller and 4 MCE controllers.  14 cylinders where installed, 30 power units, 45 door packages, 50+ fixture packages, a few machines and a few complete elevators.  We have a team of great people working on every project to make sure when the product gets here, we have minimum issues from engineering.  Colley went Back to Back for Best Contractor in the North and awarded Elevator Worlds Ellie in 2020.  Colley Elevator had a fundraiser and donated almost $6,000.00 to 2 food depositories and 2 hospitals[Doc, Nurse, support staff appreciation] in April. We have a great team over at Colley from the person who answers the phone to the elevator technician who executes and everyone in-between our average length of employment at Colley Elevator was 9.64 years.  I’m proud to work side by side with everyone here and that we have a culture of openness at Colley that helps get everyone done at a high level! Thank you to our coworkers, customers & suppliers for being great!

Elevator personnel during covid – There is something to be said for all the elevator mechanics and apprentices who went to work during the pandemic.  When you are working in the field with the public and moving from building to building it is very different than working in an office or home environment.  Much appreciation and credit for elevator personnel everywhere who showed up and did their job when there was a reason to go and hide.

[Faceshield and mask]

Project reflection – We did a lot of projects in 2020 and there are a few really cool things I would like to high light.  

[A Colley Elevator from 1967]

One thing is any time we recapture an original Colley Elevator installation and complete a modernization with the building.  It is always a cool feeling to know that we are still around, still doing great work and getting the opportunity to replace equipment Colley installed in the 1960s or 1970s.  The picture is one from a building in Lakeview that we modernized which Colley Elevator installed in 1967, this building owner was grossly mishandled by a multinational firm who installed the wrong size power unit and couldn't get the elevator to run correctly after, which is why the building owner called us.  A bonus to this project was that we ended up doing a building right across the street a month later. 

[1/2 way done Canton Elevator package]

For the last 20 years we worked with the Lincoln Park Zoo at their Admin building, about 5 years ago they gave us a shot to take care of all their elevators.  This year we got a chance to install a new elevator in the Lion House renovation.  We do our best to be dedicated to our customers and it is wonderful when our customers remember us and give us an opportunity.  

[New elevator in a very old elevator hoistway]

We also have installed our first traction MRL this year, it has been a memorable installation and credit the the project team who has been working there to make an old elevator shaft work with a new MRL.  

Blog reflection – 46 posts in 2020[that is a lot of words, pictures and time], over 30,000 views, over 134,520 views in the blog’s history.  Getting new material every week is tough but we had some great feature on obsolete elevator controllers and Peelle Elevator Company.  Going back in the last year and looking at all the posts this year is pretty incredible how wild this year has been.  There were weeks I would come into the weekend looking for something to write about and it had been so exhausting dealing with covid or riots or whatever I felt I had gone 10 rounds with Sugar Ray Lenard. Here is to 2021 being a more positive year.

Thank you for everyone who took the time to read the blog.  My advice for 2021 is to make take ownership in something in your life and strive to be successful; Job, school, parenting, start a blog, podcast, read more, become a better deer hunter, computer programmer, exercise, whatever.  We all have more potential than just skating by a taking someone else's oxygen and spend less time on social media.  And yes, life isn't fair, do your best and go get it!  And while you are at it, help someone else, you'll feel great when you do.

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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.

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