News

May 12, 2023

Nicole Hussa

Nicole joined the VDA team in 2009 and works out of the East Hanover branch office as an MPT Director.

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May 10, 2023

Vincent Denier

Vincent joined the VDA team in 2023, working out of the New York branch office, as a Senior Field Examiner.

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April 28, 2023

Jake Seibert

Jake joined the VDA team in 2023, working out of the Houston branch office, as an Associate.

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April 28, 2023

Jeffrey Podgorny

Jeffrey joined the VDA team in 2023, working out of the Los Angeles branch office, as a Senior Associate, Key Accounts.

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March 30, 2023

Christopher Eckler

Prior to joining VDA, Mr. Pacheco held various positions at Delta Beckwith Elevator (an Otis subsidiary) starting out as an Engineer, responsible for design, coordination, and fabrication drawings for new elevators. Progressing through roles of increasing responsibility, he served as Chief Engineer and Design Manager, New Equipment Sales Engineer/Estimator, New Equipment and Modernization Manager, and finally Service/Modernization Sales Manager. During his career at Delta Beckwith, he helped institute improved processes, client relations, and increased sales and profitability.

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March 27, 2023

Joshua Lugo

Joshua joined the VDA team in 2023, working out of the Houston branch office, as an Associate.

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February 22, 2023

Austin O’Mahony

Austin started working with VDA in 2023 out of our Miami office. As an associate, he will be leading the way in consulting services for the southern Florida region.

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December 14, 2022

Christopher Kongelka

Mr. Kongelka has over 12 years of professional experience in the elevator industry.  Occupying sales and sales management roles for both major OEM corporations and leaner independent operations has prepared him for his transition to VDA in 2019.

His primary focus is on due diligence, equipment evaluation, maintenance evaluation and specification, ongoing maintenance monitoring, elevator modernization evaluations and specification.

He covers the Southern California marketplace. Christopher holds a current Qualified Elevator Inspector certification with NAESA.   His responsibilities include business development from the Los Angeles Metropolitan area to San Diego.

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November 15, 2022

Joe Neto

Mr. Neto spent nearly 32 years in the vertical transportation consulting business before joining VDA in 2022 as Vice President – Key Accounts.  The first 15 years of his consulting career encompassed working and growing all aspects of his family business, including Mandated Inspections, witnessing Mandated Tests, Equipment Evaluations, Acceptance Testing, writing specifications for Maintenance Agreements and Modernization projects, Project Management, and was responsible for all Engineering for New Construction projects.  Mr. Neto took over as President/CEO in 2006 and continued to grow the business for another 9 years until his business was acquired in 2015.

Mr. Neto brings his industry knowledge and experience to help VDA continue to grow in all aspects of Elevator and Escalator Vertical Transportation Consulting.

 

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October 26, 2022

Patrick Loeffler

Mr. Loeffler joined VDA in 2019 as an Associate in our Atlanta, Ga. Branch office. As an Associate provides complete or partial services for the modernization of existing equipment or new equipment and provides maintenance equipment evaluations, maintenance monitoring and maintenance contracts.

Prior to joining VDA, Mr. Loeffler held various positions ranging from elevator mechanic/ adjuster to Senior Superintendent of New Equipment in one of the Southeastern regions as well as in the electrical field for 20+ yrs. ranging from apprentice to master electrician to operating his own commercial electrical contracting company.

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October 26, 2022

Chris Rakestraw

Mr. Rakestraw joined VDA in 2017 bringing 25 years of industry experience. As an Associate in our Atlanta office, he is responsible for vertical transportation design, development, and coordination in both new and existing structures.  He also provides maintenance equipment evaluations, specification preparation, traffic analyses, due diligence surveys and modernization of existing equipment in existing buildings.

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October 26, 2022

Dennis Saunders

Mr. Saunders joined VDA in 2019 as an Associate. His responsibilities include the maintenance equipment evaluations, due diligence surveys, traffic analyses, modernization services and specification preparation of existing equipment in existing buildings.

Mr. Saunders began his career as a mechanic with Elevator Specialist Inc., an Independent Elevator Company in Atlanta in January 1985.  He worked the first eighteen (18) years as a mechanic and lead mechanic on some larger accounts.  Mr. Saunders has experience in Service, Repair and Modernization of Elevators and Escalators.  He became a full time Field Supervisor for his last two (2) years at Elevator Specialist, Inc.  In addition, Mr. Saunders worked with Otis Elevator Company in the Atlanta Branch as a Maintenance Supervisor from May 2005 until May 2018.

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July 27, 2022

Dion Cooper

Mr. Cooper joined VDA in 2020 as Senior Associate/New Construction Services – Midwest Region for development of new and existing clients and projects. Responsibilities include design development, coordination for new … Continue reading “Dion Cooper”

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July 20, 2022

Steve Robertson

Mr. Robertson’s responsibilities with vda® include the evaluation, design, specification preparation, bid coordination, and complete  management of new, modernized, and existing projects.  He provides extensive expertise in the pre-engineered and … Continue reading “Steve Robertson”

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June 6, 2022

Steve Corsale

Steve Corsale joined VDA in 2022 as an Associate. Steve spent his career with a major elevator manufacturer in various roles, and brought his industry knowledge to help grow VDA in New York market. Mr. Corsale’s responsibilities include managing through accounts within the Hospitality, Retail  and Health Care industry. Steve works directly with our clients, building partnerships through Contractual Documents, Full Maintenance Agreements, Equipment Evaluations, Invoice Review as well as monthly Maintenance Management. Steve is highly motivated and makes it his priority to help customers through any type difficult situation when it comes to their vertical transportation needs.

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May 4, 2022

Jeff Sena

Jeff Sena joined the VDA San Francisco branch in 2022. Mr. Sena leverages his engineering degree and many years of industry-specific experience in his current consulting role developing vertical transportation … Continue reading “Jeff Sena”

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April 21, 2022

John Roche

Mr. Roche joined VDA in 2020 as an inspector with responsibilities that include many aspects of the elevator industry. His focus is the Mayo Clinic and the wide range of vertical transportation systems located across their seven Regions.  In addition, Mr. Roche is also available to provide inspection services for our clients in Minnesota and throughout the upper Midwest.   With his extensive field and code experience, John is well suited to provide oversight and hands on field services, including Equipment Evaluations, final acceptance inspections on new and modernized elevator equipment along with plan review and code interpretation for a variety of VDA projects.

 Before joining the VDA team Mr. Roche held leadership positions as the Senior Elevator Inspector for the City of St Paul and as the Supervisor of the Elevator Inspection division for the State of Minnesota.  Both positions involved supervision of staff, oversight of inspection programs, review of detailed plans and permit applications and field inspections of all types of vertical transportation.  Prior to his twenty (20) plus years as an elevator Inspector, Mr. Roche also worked as an Elevator Mechanic with Lagerquist/Dover Elevator and Millar Elevator for twelve years.

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April 21, 2022

Tim Warren

Mr. Warren joined the VDA Minneapolis, MN branch office location in April of 2020. Hired as an Associate, his main responsibilities include the evaluation, design, specification preparation, bid coordination and … Continue reading “Tim Warren”

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April 21, 2022

Annemarie Bubash

Ms. Bubash in an Associate, with over 15 years of APM and elevator industry experience including day to day operation and maintenance of dual lane and single lane (with by-pass) APM systems at the Minneapolis/Saint Paul International (MAC) Airport.

Since joining vda® in 2010 she has been responsible for general oversight of the Operating and Maintenance agreement for both MAC APM systems and MAC vertical transportation systems. She consults on all aspects of APM system operations including equipment evaluations, review of monthly APM system performance availability calculations, quarterly invoicing, annual certification testing of APM technicians. She is also responsible for all phases of vertical transportation consulting. Working for a variety of VDA’s clients, including project management, invoice review, annual reports, equipment evaluation, specification preparation, and coordination of final punch list evaluation of new and existing projects.

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March 30, 2022

John Frondi

Mr. Frondi joined vda® in 2006, as a Senior Associate responsible for project management and full consulting services pertaining to the evaluation and modernization of existing vertical transportation systems and new systems, in new and renovated buildings.  He is also responsible for performing maintenance equipment evaluation and surveys for residential, hotel and commercial properties.  Mr. Frondi also oversees a diverse account portfolio whereby he provides various account management services.

Prior to joining vda®, Mr. Frondi worked for a large, international elevator contractor where he held various positions in the field (repair, modernization, new construction and service departments) and management (Territory Manager for Service, Modernization and New Equipment).

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March 28, 2022

Jim Koch

James Koch has nearly 40 years of experience in the Elevator Industry. He is skilled in the practice of testing newly installed equipment to ensure that it meets all specifications, as well as, maintaining that safety regulations and building codes are met and documented with completed service reports. In addition, Mr. Koch performs Equipment Evaluation Maintenance audits, Preliminary Evaluations, Modernization specifications and general consulting services.

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March 25, 2022

Todd King

Mr. King joined vda® Minneapolis, MN branch office in October of 2021. Hired as an Associate, his main responsibilities include the evaluation, design, specification preparation, bid coordination, and complete project management of new, modernized, and existing projects. He provides equipment selecting, traffic analysis as well as design of elevator and escalator systems for new construction projects and for new equipment in existing buildings.

Mr. King began his elevator career at Otis Elevator as an Elevator Technician in 1996. He spent time in the areas of service and construction but spent most of his time in the areas of modernization and repair.

In 2002 he accepted a position as an Elevator Inspector for the City of Minneapolis where he performed inspections on new, existing, and altered elevators, escalators, and related equipment. In 2007 he accepted the equivalent position with the State of Minnesota. Throughout his career at the State of MN, Mr. King served on code advisory committees, committees for code adoptions, and as a chair member for the Annual Institute for Building Officials.

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March 25, 2022

Carl Talley

Mr. Talley joined the vda® Chicago branch office in February of 2020. As an Associate, his responsibilities include maintenance equipment evaluation audits on a variety vertical transportation equipment of both vintage and current. Mr. Talley is also responsible for the performance of specification development for modernization and existing equipment based on a field survey and building drawings.

With over 30 years of industry experience, Mr. Talley is well versed in all areas of vertical transportation to include stationary window washing rigs and construction hoist. In addition, he is familiar with related work often called for outside of vertical transportation during specification development. These include elevator cab flooring, HVAC systems, plumbing and electrical disconnects. With this experience he is able to provide clients with major and minor service projects that may require additional oversight to achieve greater outcome in their interest.

In his time since joining vda®, Mr. Talley has had the ability to work and interact with clients both new and old. While each project brings its own challenges, Mr. Talley is able to lend his vision and forethought to any job that will have a lasting positive impact for the client.

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August 12, 2021

John Donaldson

Our Missouri office is headed by Mr. John Donaldson who joined VDA in August 2021 with over 10 years of prior experience in the elevator industry with a diverse background in construction, modernization, service and repair, project management, sales, operations and management. Mr. Donaldson is responsible for providing consulting services which include equipment and maintenance Equipment Evaluations, developing equipment and maintenance specifications for new and existing vertical transportation equipment, and provides services during the construction administration phase. In addition, he serves as project manager on selected major contracts.

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August 2, 2021

Rob McNeill

Mr. McNeill has over 42 years of experience in the elevator industry. He has held positions in sales, supervision, and management within OTIS and KONE elevator companies. He spent the last 5 years with KONE as Director of Code and Products, Americas and was the Regional Manager of Modernization for the OTIS Western Region.

He currently serves on the state of Oregon electrical and elevator board, previously chaired the state of Washington elevator safety advisory committee, and is a licensed certified elevator inspector.

In 2021, Mr. McNeill joined VDA as an associate working in the Pacific Northwest bringing expertise in all phases of elevator consulting/design services, equipment evaluations, and inspections.

He provides equipment and maintenance equipment evaluations, writes equipment and maintenance specifications for new and existing vertical transportation equipment, and furnishes construction administrations services.

Mr. McNeill developed an expertise in new and existing installations, code compliance, and modernization during his tenure at OTIS and KONE. He has been involved in over 500 modernizations including the TransAmerica building in San Francisco and SeaTac airport escalator modernizations.

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July 27, 2020

Dan Hunter

Mr. Hunter joined VDA in 2020 with 15 years of elevator industry experience. As an Associate with VDA Elevator Consulting for the North Florida area, he provides complete or partial consulting services for maintenance, and modernization of existing vertical transportation equipment.  He provides maintenance monitoring and equipment evaluations, specifications, and contract preparation. Project management and oversight coordination is offered as well.

Before entering the elevator trade, Mr. Hunter had a successful career as a Firefighter/EMT, before being sidelined due to injuries. Prior to joining VDA, Mr. Hunter acquired his 15 years of experience progressing through various roles with both private as well as major elevator companies. He began his career with Mowrey Elevator, and advanced from field installation/modernization work to Sales Manager covering an area from Central Florida to North Georgia. Mr. Hunter served as the Senior Account Manager.  In this role he was responsible for not only local accounts, but also for the State of Florida Department of Management Services’ contract for all of Florida.

One recent client testimonial from Heather Leatherberry of Condo Association Management states, “Dan Hunter has been invaluable in helping us get our elevator contracts and repairs done properly. His expertise has saved us so much money and time!”

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July 27, 2020

Bill Thomas

Mr. Thomas joined VDA in February of 2017 with over 34 years of experience in the elevator industry. As an Associate for the San Francisco office he is responsible for all phases of Vertical Transportation Consulting for VDA’s existing clients, primarily in Hawaii. He provides equipment and maintenance equipment evaluations, writes equipment and maintenance specifications for new and existing vertical transportation equipment, and provides services during the construction administration phase.

Prior to joining VDA, he co-founded Elevator Dynamics in 1990, where he served as Vice-President for over 23 years. In this role, he operationally managed projects and secured contracts for modernization and repair. At Elevator Dynamics, he also functioned as a journey-level mechanic, performing service, repair and modernization work. In 2013 KONE acquired Elevator Dynamics and retained Mr. Thomas as a Senior Sales of Modernization’s, where he was responsible for bidding and securing modernization contracts in the Los Angeles area. He was a member of IUEC Local 18 for over 25 years, a State of CA Certified Competent Conveyance Mechanic for 12 years and held a State of CA C-11 Elevator Contractor License for 23 years.

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July 17, 2020

Tom Corsale

Mr. Tom Corsale joined VDA in 2018 as a part of the Key Accounts team. Tom spent his career with a major elevator manufacturer in various roles, and brought his industry knowledge to help grow VDA in particular markets. As a part of the Key Accounts team, Mr. Corsale’s responsibilities include managing through major accounts within the Hospitality, Retail  and Health Care industry. Tom works directly with our clients, building partnerships through Contractual Documents, Full Maintenance Agreements, Equipment Evaluations, Invoice Review as well as monthly Maintenance Monitoring. Tom is highly motivated and makes it his priority to help customers through any type difficult situation when it comes to their vertical transportation needs.

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July 17, 2020

Kevin Cunningham

Mr. Kevin Cunningham started with the VDA team in August 2015, our of our Chicago branch office. Mr. Cunningham’s responsibilities within VDA Key Accounts include managing through Health Care, Hospitality and Retail accounts. Building partnerships with customers through Contractual Documents, Full Maintenance Agreements, Equipment evaluations, Invoice Review as well as monthly Maintenance Monitoring. Kevin thrives on helping customers through any type difficult situation when it comes to their vertical transportation needs.

Kevin started in the field as a helper in 1985. By 1990 he was a mechanic and for the next 20 years worked in every department in the elevator industry. He had then joined the office as a Superintendent for another 5 years before joining VDA.

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July 17, 2020

Joe Leist

Joe Leist joined VDA in April 2019 as the Vice President Key Accounts.  His primary role is to develop and maintain corporate relationships with our elite clients and to also assure they are receiving the highest level of service from their current vendor and the services that VDA can provide.

Mr. Leist currently works with clients in Retail, Commercial Properties, Higher Education, Multifamily Residential, Hospitality and Medical industries with locations nationally/multi regional Key Account clients. Joe’s role is to share and manage comprehensive tailored programs to protect client’s assets including Multi Year Equipment Evaluations, Master Full Maintenance Agreements, Bidding Services, Modernization Standards, Technical Support/Invoice Review and Critical Capital Planning.

Mr. Leist has experience in all facets of the elevator industry, including construction, modernization, repair, maintenance, and capital planning.  In addition, he has lead field, sales, and management teams to provide a high level of service to his customers while providing consistent annual results for the company.

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July 17, 2020

Nick Nikolai

Mr. Nick Nikolai joined VDA in 2016. Nick brings over 30 years of experience in the elevator industry. Nick works closely with Operations Executives in Retail, Commercial Properties, Higher Education, Multifamily Residential, Hospitality and Medical industries with locations nationally/multi regional Portfolio Account clients. Nick develops comprehensive tailored programs to protect client’s assets including Multi Year Equipment Evaluations, Master Full Maintenance Agreements, Bidding Services, Modernization Standards, Technical Support/Invoice Review and Critical Capital Planning.

Mr. Nikolai’s knowledge includes all lines of the industry including New Construction, Modernization and Service. He has held roles with increasing responsibilities including a Helper, Mechanic, Local Rep, Superintendent, Elevator Company owner, Area Manager, Modernization Manager. His responsibilities included, contract negotiations, major project management, safety policy training and adherence, Repair & Service Sales, Technical training.

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June 16, 2020

Mark Prevot

Mr. Prevot joined VDA in August 2018 with extensive experience in design engineering, construction project management, and sales. He is responsible for business development out of our new Albuquerque office. As an Associate, Mr. Prevot’s is also responsible for local area management, performance of all phases of Elevator Consulting/Design Services, Equipment Evaluations, and Maintenance Monitoring. Since joining VDA he has developed an expertise in existing installations and modernization projects

He began his career as an engineer with Boeing and ventured into Commercial and Residential Construction. He has over 25 years of combined Engineering, Construction, and Elevator experience. Most recently he spent six (6) years with Thyssenkrupp in the Albuquerque, NM office responsible for modernization across parts of three (3) states.

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June 16, 2020

Robert Webster

Mr. Webster joined VDA’s Houston, TX branch office in early 2018. Hired as an Associate, Mr. Webster is responsible for all phases of Vertical Transportation Consulting for VDA’s existing clients. He provides equipment and maintenance Equipment Evaluations, writes equipment and maintenance specifications for new and existing vertical transportation equipment, and provides services during the construction and administration phase.

Prior to joining VDA, Mr. Webster spent 40 years with Schindler Elevator Corporation serving in a diverse set of roles. Starting in field operations as an installer, repair manager, and eventually progressing to management as a service manager and completing his career with Schindler working in the modernization engineering group.

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June 16, 2020

Kevin Telga

Mr. Telga joined VDA in 2019 as an Associate responsible for providing our new and existing clients with maintenance evaluations and contract negotiations, due diligence evaluations, modernization project management, specification … Continue reading “Kevin Telga”

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June 16, 2020

Scott Collins

Mr. Collins joined VDA in 2017 as Senior Associate and helped to open our Salt Lake City, UT Office. His responsibilities at VDA encompass all aspects of vertical transportation consulting in new and existing buildings including system analysis, design, specifications, project management, modernization, evaluations, capital planning, equipment evaluation, maintenance agreements, and due diligence.

Mr. Collins began his career as a sales engineer and spent 33 years as a branch manager in several locations for a major elevator company. He was branch manager in Salt Lake City for 25 years and was responsible for all sales, service, repair, modernization, and new construction activities in a multi-state area.

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June 16, 2020

Mark Braun

Mr. Braun provides consulting services including equipment and maintenance equipment evaluations, writes equipment and maintenance specifications for new and existing vertical transportation equipment, and provides services during the construction administration phase. In addition, he serves as project manager on selected major contracts.

Mr. Braun has over 35 years’ experience in the elevator industry with Otis Elevator Company. He was responsible for managing several larger accounts in St. Louis and was responsible for maintenance, modernization and service sales, and management in the area. Mr. Braun also held several other positions during his tenure with Otis including branch management in Illinois, and Ohio, regional sales management and new equipment sales prior to moving to St. Louis.

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June 16, 2020

Ronald Welts

Ron Welts joined VDA in 2019 as Area Manager with over 24 years of prior experience in the elevator industry with a diverse background in construction and service field operations and supervision, project management, general management, and consulting.

His responsibilities at VDA include local area management and all phases of vertical transportation consulting including system analysis, project management, new installation, modernization, evaluations, maintenance specifications, maintenance management, equipment evaluations, and due diligence.

Mr. Welts has received degrees in Marine Transportation and holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. His broad experience in the industry from working in the field to general management allow him to bring a deep understanding of the industry to assist clients in all aspects of vertical transportation.

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June 16, 2020

Garry Legregni

Mr. Legregni’s responsibilities include all phases of Vertical Transportation Consulting for VDA’s existing clients and for development of new business in New York.

He provides equipment and maintenance Equipment Evaluations, writes equipment and maintenance specifications for new and existing vertical transportation equipment, and provides services during the construction administration phase. In addition, he serves as project manager on selected major contracts in New York.

To obtain Garry’s contact information, click here.

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June 16, 2020

Paul Parios

Mr. Parios joined VDA in 2017 with 30 years of elevator industry experience. As Area Manager for North and Central Florida, he provides complete or partial consulting services for maintenance and modernization of existing vertical transportation equipment as well as installation of new equipment. He provides maintenance monitoring and equipment evaluations, specification and contract preparation, and multi-phase construction and design administration. Project management and oversight coordination is offered as well.

Prior to joining VDA Mr. Parios acquired 19 years of management experience progressing through several positions of increasing responsibility at a major global elevator company. In markets including NYC, Dallas and the Southeast/Mid-Atlantic U.S. regions, he has held positions as Sales Manager, Branch Manager, District Manager, and Regional Escalator Sales Manager. For 11 years prior to that, Mr. Parios served as Account Executive at two other elevator companies located in New York City.

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June 16, 2020

Janice Clavet

Janice Clavet, joined VDA in 2014.  Ms. Clavet has nearly 30 years of professional experience in the design of elevator and escalator systems for new construction projects, new equipment in existing buildings, and the modernization of vertical transportation equipment. Her responsibilities at VDA include local Area Management, performance in all phases of Vertical Transportation Consulting Design Services, all phases of Vertical Transportation Equipment Modernization, Equipment Evaluations, Maintenance Management, and Due Diligence Evaluations.

Some of the notable projects she has worked on are The Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA; The W Hotel, Hollywood, CA; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA; Broad Museum, Los Angeles, CA; Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, CA; Los Angeles County Hall of Justice, Los Angeles, CA; Maurice & Paul Marciano Art Foundation, Los Angeles, CA; New World Symphony, Miami Beach, FL; Westfield Century City, Century City, CA.

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June 16, 2020

Kyle Reinert

Mr. Reinert joined VDA in 2017 responsible for supporting the Midwest Region with the development of new and existing clients. As an Area Manager, he provides complete or partial services for the modernization of existing equipment or new equipment and provides maintenance equipment evaluations, maintenance management, and maintenance contracts.

Prior to joining VDA, Mr. Reinert held various positions of increasing responsibility for national elevator companies ranging from General Manager in Chicago to Area Sales Manager of New Construction Sales for the Northern United States. He also held District Management roles in Wisconsin, responsible for all existing maintenance, modernization, and new equipment sales and operations.

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June 16, 2020

Ken Donner

Ken Donner joined VDA in 2012 as a Senior Associate with over 38 years of prior experience in the elevator industry. Ken has a diverse background in engineering, design, project management, sales, and branch/regional management.

Now, As Area Manager of our Atlanta branch office, his responsibilities at VDA include local area management and all phases of vertical transportation consulting including system analysis, project management, new installation, modernization, evaluations, maintenance specifications, equipment evaluations, and due diligence.

Mr. Donner received a college Associates Degree in Architectural Engineering which provides him a unique perspective and insight into new construction and modernization projects.

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June 16, 2020

John O’Sullivan

Joined VDA in 2012 and has over 34 years of experience in the Elevator Industry. He is currently the Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for VDA. John has experience in all aspects of Elevator Consulting specializing in Maintenance, Modernization, Equipment Evaluations, Due Diligence, and Project Management for all types of Vertical Transportation Equipment. In addition, he serves as Project Manager on select major projects throughout the United States.

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May 19, 2020

Brian Pacheco

Mr. Pacheco joined VDA in 2013 as a Senior Associate with over 15 years of prior experience in the elevator industry. He is responsible for all phases of vertical transportation consulting including system analysis, project management, new installation, modernization, evaluations, maintenance specifications, equipment evaluations, and due diligence. In 2020, Mr. Pacheco was named Area Manger and is responsible for supervising branch operations, new business development, and client relations. In addition, he continues to provide all phases of Vertical Transportation Consulting Services.

Prior to joining VDA, Mr. Pacheco held various positions at Delta Beckwith Elevator (an Otis subsidiary) starting out as an Engineer, responsible for design, coordination, and fabrication drawings for new elevators. Progressing through roles of increasing responsibility, he served as Chief Engineer and Design Manager, New Equipment Sales Engineer/Estimator, New Equipment and Modernization Manager, and finally Service/Modernization Sales Manager. During his career at Delta Beckwith, he helped institute improved processes, client relations, and increased sales and profitability.

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May 19, 2020

Michael Nolan

Mr. Nolan joined VDA in 2014 as a Senior Associate with over 35 years of prior experience in the elevator industry with a diverse background in Service, Maintenance and Modernization of elevators He provides equipment and maintenance equipment evaluation, writes equipment and maintenance specifications for new vertical transportation equipment and modernization of existing vertical transportation equipment, and provides services during the construction administration phase.

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May 19, 2020

Dana Rice

Dana Rice possesses a strong technical background that supports all phases of vertical transportation consulting for VDA’s existing clients, including project management, equipment evaluation, specification preparation, and coordination of final … Continue reading “Dana Rice”

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May 19, 2020

R. Dane Carollo

Mr. Carollo has over 38 years in the elevator industry. He began his career in the field as a mechanics apprentice, then moved into sales, supervision, and management positions within Schindler Elevator Company. He spent the last 7 years of his time with Schindler as the General Manager of the Albany, NY office responsible for all maintenance, modernization, repair and new construction sales, supervision, and management.

In 1994, Mr. Carollo joined VDA as the Area Manager of Upstate, NY and New England. He has also held this position for VDA in Cleveland, North Carolina, and Chicago. Currently, Mr. Carollo is opening our Syracuse, NY branch office.

His responsibilities include local area management, performance of all phases of Elevator Consulting/Design Services, Equipment Evaluations, and Code Inspections.

He also provides equipment and maintenance equipment evaluations, writes equipment and maintenance specifications for new and existing vertical transportation equipment, and provides construction administration services. In addition, he serves as project manager on selected major modernization contracts throughout North America.

Mr. Carollo has developed an expertise in existing installations and modernization projects during his time with VDA. He has completed over 200 modernization’s as Project Manager with VDA in 26 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Aruba. In addition to serving as Area Manager for Chicago, Mr. Carollo is responsible for supervision of preparation of modernization specifications for other VDA branch offices.

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May 19, 2020

Robert M. Castellano

Mr. Castellano facilitates VDA sales and services, to include preparation of elevator modernization and/or maintenance specifications, contractor bid reviews, contractor bid interviews, witness test services and customer equipment evaluation.

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May 19, 2020

Michael Balsamo

Michael Balsamo joined VDA in 2017 as Vice President of Sales. Experienced VP with a demonstrated history of working in the mechanical or industrial engineering industry. In this role, Mr. Balsamo facilitates VDA sales and services to include business development of new and existing clients, preparation of elevator modernization and/or maintenance specifications, contractor bid reviews, contractor bid interviews, witness test services, project management, and customer equipment evaluation.

Prior to joining VDA, he started his career at P.S Marcato Elevator as an Account Executive in 1996 and was promoted to Vice President of Sales at P.S. Marcato Elevator in 2005. While sales was Michael’s main focus, he was an integral part of the operations team and continues the same path here at VDA. He is well versed in all aspect of sales and is proficient in business operations.

Skilled in Negotiation, Budgeting, Business Planning, Operations Management, and Coaching. Strong sales professional attended City University of New York-College of Staten Island.

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May 19, 2020

Robert Cuzzi

Mr. Cuzzi leads the way as our Chief Executive Officer/President.

He was an integral member of the executive team that was offered ownership of VDA in 2010, and in 2018, he was named President of the firm, overseeing the entire company’s operations.

Throughout his years at the firm, he’s served as project executive on notable projects, such as 1 World Trade Center, Madison Square Garden, Carnegie Hall, Plaza Hotel, Gap Inc. (over 100 projects worldwide), among many others.

Mr. Cuzzi joined VDA in 1998 as Operations Manager in the New York City office, supervising the day-to-day operations of the field engineering staff. His engineering background served him well in this role.

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May 18, 2020

Richard S. Sayah

Mr. Sayah began his career in 1999 when he was hired out of college, and joined the Engineering Department of VDA. In the years that followed, Mr. Sayah would prove to be one of the more important aspects of VDA’s focus on New Construction work. Gaining the respect of his peers and clients alike, Mr. Sayah would eventually be named Vice President in 2009, and again in 2020 when he was promoted to Senior Vice President.

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May 18, 2020

Noel R. Herchell

Mr. Herchell has over 30 years of experience in various aspects of the elevator industry including consulting, engineering, manufacturing certification inspection, sales, and management.

As Regional Vice President-Northeast, he is responsible for the design, development, and coordination in both new and existing structures including preparation of systems’ analysis and recommendations, construction budgets, construction drawings, specifications, and construction period services for development of new business in the Northeastern US.

Mr. Herchell provides equipment and maintenance equipment evaluations, writes equipment and maintenance specifications for new and existing vertical transportation equipment, performs theoretical traffic analysis for new and existing building systems, and provides services during the construction administration phase. In addition, he serves as project manager on selected major contracts. He is also a member of the National Association of Elevator Safety Authorities, the ASME A17.1 National Interest Review Committee, the Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists, and is a NAESAI certified Elevator Inspector.

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May 18, 2020

Thomas Nelson

Mr. Nelson is responsible for vertical transportation design, development and coordination in both new and existing structures, including preparation of elevator systems’ traffic analyses and design recommendations; construction drawings, specifications and construction period services.

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