Our journey began in 1997 when we decided to build a new home. In order to care for our parents, we needed more space than we had in our tract home. As we be began designing our home, we ended up with a 3 story design (land is the biggest expense, so a small lot was what we found). After some research, we determined we could make do - as long as we included an elevator.
Calling all the elevator references we found in the phone book (the internet was still pretty new), we were disappointed in the response - or lack of response we got from inquiries made with elevator companies. To make a long story short, we found an elevator company that was not yet doing business in California. They were a major manufacturer in the Southeast but had not expanded into California.
Between 1999 and 2002, we built out home with an elevator from that company. The effort was so successful and rewarding, we were offered the opportunity to represent that company in California as a dealer. Incorporating our business in 2003, we now have hundreds of customers throughout Northern California. We have become the residential elevator company selected to supply our elevators to major homebuilders.
Our key value has been to treat each of our customers the way we felt we should have been treated.
We are a family owned business, Vietnam Veteran. Our pricing is fair and honest. Our customer can usually choose features they want at a price to fit their budget. We do not throw out an inflated price and negotiate from that. Our price is based on our cost of doing business. We owe it to our customers to remain profitable in order to provide ongoing service.
A strong customer reference base has given us the exposure we were looking for. In addition, referrals from our manufacturer for customers in Northern California keep us busy. We do not subscribe to platforms requiring a fee, so we do not have to pass that cost along to our customers.
We provide free design analysis and help pulling together all the documentation required for planning and permits. During shaftway construction, we make site visits to see that construction is proceeding properly. It is important to be proactive rather than reactive. We become part of the team with the architect, contractor and homeowner. Our project coordinators know how a shaftway should be constructed for a successful implementation.