hsundholm:

Future Elevation on Flickr.

Elevators encased in glass makes for a neat HDR. Somehow it doesn’t look like anything in particular. It just has a futuristic feel to it. Anyway, I shot it onboard the cruiseferry M/S Silja Europa.

We here at ThyssenKrupp Access also have elevators encased in glass. It does have a neat futuristic look to it, we agree!

At ThyssenKrupp Access we often try to do the unexpected.  Sometimes going against the grain and doing things a little bit different or out of the ordinary can make a big impact. An entire perception of a company can be altered by switching up any one element of the typical everyday operation, and that is exactly what we are striving for.

Romeo High School in Romeo, Michigan isn’t exactly thought of as a football school. The town doesn’t shut down on Friday nights while hoards of people pack the bleachers around the gridiron, there is no Texas high school life or death mentality, and aside from parents of the players and the students at the school, few people even know that there’s a game happening at all. So needless to say, in their second game of the season and already one loss in, an upset of the powerhouse Dakota seemed less than probable.

But this time around, Romeo decided to do the unexpected, start a girl. Ashley Flinn was called on for kicking duties when the team’s starting kicker, Evan Simpson, was forced to miss the game because of a scheduling conflict with the men’s soccer team, for which he also plays. But he wasn’t missed much; Flinn turned out a stellar performance, completing two extra points and a field goal that would ultimately lead to a Romeo victory.

The coach made a bold move selecting Flinn as the kicker, but what a great move it turned out to be. Not only did the game end in the result they were looking for, but the team gained positive press, publicity and some fans in the stands. If we can make bold and brilliant moves like this, people will start to notice; not only our consumers, but our competitors. We want to be trendsetters, we want to come out on top, and as we can learn from Romeo’s story. One way to do that is to be daring and give people the chance they deserve to make a difference and help us stand out. 

Already in the year 2012 we have launched a new marketing development site for dealers to use to build their business and make us easier to do business with. We launched a very successful iPad promotion. We are in the works of building brand new products that are intended to launch this year. And we have been working hard to improve our processes and increase efficiency.

Every member of this team is working to find ways to make an unexpected impact in the way we conduct business. Whether it’s the coach calling the shots, the quarterback running the show or the kicker who comes out every now and then with a brilliant performance, ultimately we are working together in order to best benefit you. If we play as a team, we’ll win as a team.

The old freight elevator in the Watson Library’s stacks at the University of Kansas has been retired after more than 70 years of service. Just goes to show that even elevators can retire with old age!

Last night, after a long day at work, I came home, opened the fridge and searched for a snack (a habit I sadly have not been able to kick since Grade School). I came across a big bag of grapes, both purple and green, poured a large portion of them into a bowl and sat on the couch. From there I began flipping through the channels, first clicking through all of my favorites: VH1, MTV, Travel Channel, Disney, ABC, FOX; nothing was on. Fortunately for me, I have HBO, which basically always guarantees that there will be SOMETHING worth watching.

Suddenly, Johnny Depp appears on the screen, and not as a pirate, a mad hatter, Mr. Wonka, a man with scissors for hands or a tearful teenager. No, he was a detective, and a dashing one at that. Immediately I was intrigued, just as anyone else would have been. The story took place in Victorian Era London, and he was searching for a homicidal maniac by the name of Jack the Ripper. Depp left the shot and I was suddenly watching a masked man lure in what appeared to be an adult entertainer with a handful of grapes. Unfortunately for her, she took them (this must be where the phrase “don’t take candy from strangers” came into play), and after gulping down the delicious snack she was cut to ribbons.

Suddenly my grapes didn’t seem to appealing. I looked down at the bowl to push them away but became intrigued with a thought. Here I was eating what felt like a pound worth of grapes as if they were as common as eggs in a hen house. And there was Jack the Ripper, enticing pretty young girls with a handful of grapes, which would ultimately end in their demise. It is so interesting to think what a grape meant to them as opposed to what it means to me today. There are so many different things in this world that are like that. For example, purple used to be the color of power and wealth during Roman times, and now its worn by the Kansas State Wildcats (I’m a KU fan, please take no offense to rivalry humor).

In the 1950’s to own one television set was a big accomplishment for a household, and now we’ve crammed them into cars, hot tubs, ceilings and just about anywhere else that we can think of. Kids used to wait all weekend to go to an arcade, but now a full arcade can fit onto your phone. But of all of the devices that were once unobtainable commodities, the one that interests me the most is the elevator.

Remember how fascinated you were the first time you stepped into an elevator? You walked in, pushed a button, and when the doors re-opened you were somewhere completely different. Half the fun of ever entering an office building was having the chance to ride from floor to floor. You thought to yourself, “Wouldn’t it be incredible if I had one of these in my house?”  Suddenly, celebrities were buying them. It became the new hot trend for the wealthy to have elevators, almost to the point that you knew you hit the big-time once you could forgo the stairs.

But now, it doesn’t need to be that way, not by a long shot. With some of the great products we have here at ThyssenKrupp Access you could go from the basic LEV II with standard features to the Volant with 2-speed doors. The options are endless and a perfect luxury item for any and every home on the block. Residential elevators have been called the next big “must have” luxury item and for good reason. An elevator makes your life easier, moving heavy items more convenient, increases the value of your home and makes it possible for you to retire in the house you worked so hard to build.

It’s true when you hear people say, “Things sure aren’t what they used to be.” Things are better than what they used to be. We continually work to make luxurious items an everyday commodity, thus simplifying the lives of people today. Grapes are an afternoon snack, not a murderer’s weapon of choice. Grape is a pretty color that can be seen in weddings or a little girl’s bedroom, not just on Caesar’s sash. But above all, elevators are now for everyone, not just mile high office buildings. Take advantage of the times and live in luxury, you’ll be glad you did.

This is a post from Gizmodo.com and I thought it was just far too funny and fascinating to not add to our own blog. Check out some of the fun facts, and let me know your thoughts.

A while back I read a piece in the New Yorker about a man trapped in an elevator for 41 hours. But the real gem of the article was the mountain of “Did you know…” facts laced throughout. Like that Door Close button you’re always pushing? Yeah, it doesn’t work. Here’s the full list:

■ As mentioned above, the Door Close button is there mostly to give passengers the illusion of control. In elevators built since the early ’90s. The button is only enabled in emergency situations with a key held by an authority.

■ The only known occurence of an elevator car free falling due to a snapped cable (barring fire or structural collapse), was in 1945. A B25 Bomber crashed into the Empire State Building, severing the cables of two elevators. The elevator car on the 75th floor had a woman on it, but she survived due to the 1000 feet of coiled cable of fallen cable below, which lessened the impact.

■ Elevators are twenty times safer than escalators. There are twenty times more elevators than escalators, but only 1/3 more accidents.

■ Elevators are also safer than cars. An average of 26 people die in elevators each year in the U.S. There are 26 car deaths every five hours.

■ Most people who die in elevators are elevator technicians.

■ The New York Marriott was the first to introduce a smart elevator system that assigned passengers to elevators depending on what floor they were heading to.

■ Elevators used to require a two-man dispatcher/operator team to function. The advent of navigational buttons rendered those jobs obsolete.

■ The area required for personal space is 2.3 feet. The average amount on elevators is generally 2 feet.

■ Elevator hatches are generally bolted shut for safety reasons. In times of elevator crisis, the safest place is inside the elevator.

■ The myth about jumping just before impact in a falling elevator is just that — myth. You can’t jump fast enough to counteract the speed of falling. And you wouldn’t know when to jump.

■ Due to the laws of physics, elevators can’t be any taller than 1700 feet. Hoist ropes become too heavy after that, snapping at 3200 feet.

And as an interesting closing note, Nicholas White, the man trapped in the elevator, received a low six-figure settlement after filing a $25 million lawsuit against the building. But in the process, he lost his job, his money and his apartment. He is now unemployed.

We hear about it all the time - green products, organic food, energy-efficient vehicles and recycling- it’s ubiquitous. It’s the new cool thing to care about. Honestly, if you’re not in with it, you’re out.

Being mindful of your presence on this earth is so important and selfless – why wouldn’t you want to join the movement? Well, it’s not difficult. You don’t have to start a planet-saving revolution, but you can take notice of things you do and use in your own home. Here are some simple ways that you can start being ecologically aware without drastically changing your current lifestyle.

*Reduce the use of paper towels - Washable viscose cloths are far more absorbent than paper; they can soak up 10 times their weight in liquid

*Stock the fridge - Use bags of ice to fill the voids, and your freezer won’t have to use as much energy to stay cold

*Rethink grocery shopping – Use re-usable grocery bags instead of throwing away plastic bags

*Use glass containers for leftovers – Microwaving plastic containers can leech chemicals into your food

*Draw the curtains - The average person can save 25 percent on heat in the winter and air-conditioning in the summer just by using the added insulation of window shades

*Get electrically smart – A Smart Strip power strip turns off when it senses idle appliances

*File digitally – Save paper by keeping important records electronically

*Be counter-intuitive – Purchase recycled glass countertops over quarried stone

*Use a push-mower - No fuel, no emissions, no blaring roar — and today’s models are way better than they were in the past

*Go gearless – Purchase a gearless home elevator that uses less energy than traditional elevators. At ThyssenKrupp Access, our home elevator line carries two gearless elevators.

These easy steps can help transition you from simply being aware of your environment to eventually following a green path. Here at ThyssenKrupp Access, we encourage you to do your part and take a step in the green direction.

When looking back at your day, an elevator may seem like a fairly insignificant part of the mix. If someone asks you what you did today, usually your response will be along the lines of, “Went to work, had lunch with the boss, came home…” Rarely ever will you say, “Well I hopped in the elevator and headed to the fifth floor…” This is because in everyday life, an elevator is viewed as a means of travel, an object that will merely take you from floor A to floor B with little significance in between. But in the world of film, an elevator is looked at as an opportunity to see the world or meet the devil; a place where ghosts can hide or an individual can be hypnotized. The possibilities are endless, and I thought it would be fun to take a look at some of the iconic films that heavily rely on the passenger elevator.

Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
After Charlie Bucket proved to Mr. Wonka that he was honest and trustworthy, they hopped in the Wonkavator and blasted through a ceiling made entirely out of glass. From there the elevator soared high above the city and Mr. Wonka informed Charlie that the chocolaty empire now belonged to him. We seriously doubt that this scene would have had as much of an impact if it took place in the stuffy old office.

Tower of Terror (1997)
Five people walk into an elevator, but after the unit crashes down eleven stories, the ghosts of the victims wander about the hotel. Sixty years later a reporter and his niece are trying to solve the mystery behind the hotel and free the ghostly spirits. This movie may sound relatively plot less and pointless, but without the opening elevator shot, there would be no movie, and more importantly, no awesome ride at Disney MGM Studios and California Adventures theme park.

Shallow Hal (2001)
Hal is known for being one shallow individual, but when he becomes stuck in an elevator with famous self-help author and motivational speaker, Tony Robbins, he is hypnotized into only being able to see a woman’s inner beauty. Without this initial elevator sequence, Shallow Hal’s gal would not have been nearly as much fun to watch.

Inception (2010)
This movie was really pretty difficult to understand, and the elevator sequence in the second level of the dream sequence which takes place after they fall asleep in the escalade, but before they enter the snowy mountains of some far away land (confused yet?) wasn’t any easier. But from what I understand, Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character was supposed to get all of the other characters into an elevator and wait for it to crash to the bottom, providing a “kick” that would wake everyone up and place them back in dream level one. You’ll just have to go see it…then this will all make sense; but trust me the elevator sequence was of great importance.

Devil (2010)
It seems like M Night Shyamalan has directed one twisted flop after the other since the glory days of the Sixth Sense, but this one took the cake. I am fairly certain nobody saw this film, and the only reason I have was due to a snowday and I was quickly running out of options on HBO.

Basically a group of strangers are trapped in an elevator, when they realize the devil is among them. I would offer up more details, but sadly there are none to give. Too bad they weren’t trapped in a ThyssenKrupp Elevator, which would have undoubtedly come equipped with a telephone to call for help. But that may have been a tad anti-climatic.

Gremlins (1984)
Okay, okay, you caught me. There are no elevators in this movie. But there is however a stair lift sequence that is so entertaining and ridiculous, that I just couldn’t help but metion it.

After reading this I hope you will stop to think next time about the importance of an elevator. It may seem like your everyday object, but Hollywood knows just as well as we do, that an elevator can completely turn things around (or at least take you through highs and lows).

Disclaimer: Please note that incidents mentioned below DID NOT occur with ThyssenKrupp products.

In a tight economy people are consistently looking for areas to cut costs, and believe me, I am certainly among this group of tight spenders. Turning off the lights when leaving a room, buying store brand peas, walking more and driving less, tanning outside instead of in a booth, etc.; these practices benefit both the budget and the economy, but there are some areas where costs just cannot be cut. Would you buy a car without tires, a bike without brakes, or a knife without a handle? Safety should always be a buyer’s number one priority, despite the extra expenses.

On July 16, 2010 an elderly couple, ages 90 and 89, were found dead in their residential elevator. The elevator, stuck between two floors, was not equipped with a telephone, leaving the couple with no way to call for help as temperatures rose into the mid 90’s. Police estimated that the couple had been dead for approximately four days before they were found. Not only could this tragic death have been prevented, it could have been prevented easily. At ThyssenKrupp Access all of our residential elevators come equipped with a telephone jack to ensure that in the event of an emergency, someone can be notified.

When browsing for a residential elevator it can be easy to choose a cheaper model, with a lesser known company in order to spare a few bucks, but it could also put an end to your life. When choosing a residential elevator, stair lift, or wheelchair lift you need to ask in depth questions about safety features and functionality. And make sure that a licensed dealer installs your unit, do NOT attempt to do this on your own. Often times this is the quickest route consumers take to cutting costs, but it can also lead to a multitude of disastrous outcomes.

In the summer of 2010, a 90-year-old woman died from being catapulted out of a faulty chairlift. Gwendoline Rhymer spun around in her chair and tipped out headfirst after restraining bolts on the seat sheared off. Her daughter, Vanessa, testified that her mother was “frightened to death” of the lift. Reports claim that Mrs. Ryhmer has complained to the lifts manufactures a week before, and they said they would send somebody out, but no one ever came. The lift had also been due to be serviced the month of her death.

This is why it is important to read reviews of the company you are choosing to go with. Make sure that they can be trusted. Reports from this incident further claimed that Mrs. Rhymer’s staircase was too steep for the type of stair lift and there were more than five years wear and tear on the machine which was installed as new just four years ago. From this information we can gather that the installation specialists were not honest with their client in recommending either a more suitable product or company, they were just after he money any way they could get it. Also, from the report we can gather that a refurbished product was being posed off as new.

In both cases it becomes clear that lives were taken from three elderly individuals because of faulty accessibility equipment. Had they spent the extra hour researching companies or the extra dollar to purchase a more trustworthy product, both of these incidents could have been avoided. Some purchases can be taken lightly, but this is not one of them.

We here at ThyssenKrupp Access are proud to say that we are one of the oldest and most trusted manufacturers of accessibility equipment since 1947.

McKinley Elevator Corporation’s management style – a dedication to the concept of teamwork and personal responsibility – developed as Mike McKinley worked over the years in the family business. The founding company, McKinley Equipment Corporation, was started by Mike’s dad in 1948. The company specialized in material lifts, forklifts, storage racking, and anything else you would use in a warehouse. After growing up working in the warehouse, Mike joined the company full time in 1971, shortly after graduating from Cal Berkley with a B.S. in Economics and receiving his MBA in Business Finance.

The company added vertical wheelchair lifts to its product line in the 1980’s, and then progressed to stair chairs and residential elevators in the 1990’s. When the time was right, the corporation divided its business into two separate entities, the equipment and the accessibility businesses. Mike transitioned into running McKinley Elevator Corporation in Irvine and San Francisco, while Greg Larsen, his brother-in-law, runs the original McKinley Equipment Corporation in Irvine. Today, the company has expanded even further operating in Nevada, and still offers stair chairs, wheelchairs, wheelchair lifts and residential elevators, along with dumbwaiters and parking lifts.

The recession has had a devastating impact everywhere, but especially on California employment, when compared with other parts of the country. According to McKinley the national unemployment rate is under 10 percent, while California is still as 12.5 percent. To make the situation worse, California has a large inventory of “underwater” homes, with mortgages greater than the current value and whose owners cannot afford them and are defaulting. Even prime borrowers are defaulting now from unemployment. The combination of all of this will hinder new home growth for quite awhile. However, McKinley remains positive and claims that residential elevator sales are still there, just harder to find, and that his company has weathered the recession pretty well so far. He attributes his success to having good people, being well-established and being well-prepared.

“Business is always a cycle,” McKinley said. “You have to know that whatever is occurring right now won’t last. There’s a price to pay when you haven’t planned for change.”

McKinley’s goal throughout his years as top dog at the company, and even now during the recession, has been to keep his staff fully employed and working as a team. The company holds regular meetings so that the staff can bring up issues and topics, solve problems and keep everyone informed.

Weekly meetings for each product line are held via telephone and in person by the project managers, field supervisors and sales staff. McKinley said that at first there was hesitancy and a tendency to fear blame, which at times, made the meetings quite tense. However, with reassurance from management that blame wasn’t an acceptable response, only solving the issue was, team spirit began to grow.

All inside staff attend “Fridays at 3,” a weekly internal meeting that focuses on how to improve the business and to stress how important it is for each employee to care for the customer. Sometimes the staff chooses the topic. Sometimes there’s ice cream and camaraderie. But always, there is growth, either in knowledge or team spirit.

Technicians meet once a month in two groups – installers and technicians. Once each quarter the entire group meets together. The sessions are from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. and are for planning, indentifying needs, problem solving, presenting information on new products and giving feedback to manufacturers. Every four to six weeks, McKinley University takes place. This is a voluntary, technical training session offered on a Saturday. It is completely voluntary and unpaid for those simply wanting to improve their skills. It has expanded to any office or sales staff member who is interested enough to come.

To be effective, staff meetings must be regular and well-planned. The General Manager plans the elevator and wheelchair lift meetings, while the CFO plans “Fridays at 3.” The Service Manager conducts McKinley University and also the tech meetings. Each year is started in January with an Annual Kick-off Meeting, held at a nearby Embassy Suites Hotel that includes all employees from all offices for half of a day. During this meeting employees are informed of the year that was completed and what is planned for the year to come, followed by individual department meetings.

McKinley believes that the meetings are an investment that has paid off for his company by improving communication, customer service, teamwork, professionalism, expertise, morale, and relations between management and staff. The company operates with a participatory management style that has resulted in a staff that cares about each other and their customers.

“I’ve had visitors comment that everyone seems really happy in our company. That’s a great compliment and I think it gets transferred back to the customer,” McKinley said. “Some say that how your treat your staff will be how they treat your customers.”

McKinley’s team is well-prepared for the next business cycle to arrive, which fortunately will be an upturn, and the efficiency and expertise his staff has developed will be called on to handle all the new business. McKinley is sure they will be able to!

For more information, call McKinley Elevator Corporation at 949-261-9244, or visit the company’s website at www.mckinleyelevator.com.