Local Roundup Josh Hartman, Nick Goff, Joseph Semmler and Robert Green enjoy a break in the cold Arizona winter. 68 The ELEVATOR CONSTRUCTOR and especially his years of contributing to the journal and representing us, the central Florida area. Thank you, Jim, and I hope you enjoy your retirement! You’ve earned it! I strive to do half the job you’ve done. I’ve got some big shoes to fill! If you need to reach out to me for any reason, or you have photos you would like to have featured in the Elevator Constructor of babies, marriages, cars, hobbies, or anything of the sort, please call or email me at 321-684-8148 and mfalvella@gmail.com. Warm regards, Mike “Bunny” Falvella LOCAL 140 • Phoenix, Arizona Greetings, Several dear brothers have passed that I am aware of—Brothers Greg Levenson and Joe Medeiros. Their connection and influence on our industry was felt with every experience I had the privilege to share with them. They will be missed. Our deepest thoughts and condolences are offered to their families and friends. We grieve with you. Everyone in our IUEC is driving on a road toward the town called Retirement, USA. No matter your age or what mile marker you’re at, take the time to continually check your finances, assets, and long- and short-term goals for your family. This may include, but not limited to, last will and testament, living wills, trusts, beneficiaries, powers of attorney for finances and medical, life insurance, DNR and POLST forms, end-of-life housing arrangements, instructions for your digital assets, and funeral instructions and burial arrangements. I know the list of action items seems daunting, just as all the things you need to master in this trade are. Follow the same process. Connect one wire at a time, tighten one bolt at a time, fix one elevator at a time and plan your life step by step. Staying present is the skill used here. I recently compiled my retirement paperwork and updated many of the documents mentioned above which took some time, and detailed effort but it is achievable and mandatory for proper planning. In the end, make sure the right people have access to the right information. A simple thing like hours verification could mean a lot to you come retirement age. So, plan a day or night to sit down with your loved ones and chip away. You’ll be happy you did later. Still time to sign up for the golf tournament which will be held Saturday, April 29th. Let’s have a good showing. Today I was doing preventative maintenance on a contract we won over from a nonsignatory company. The contract stipulates that the monthly firefighters’ emergency operation has to be done by us. This isn’t always the case depending on where you work. Make no mistake, the roots of this code-required work stem from life safety that indicates it’s a test. Contractors seeking to reduce labor have watered it down, establishing it as a “monthly operation” to muddy the waters at the expense of putting people at risk. Anyhoo, we do this work, and it takes an average of 20-30 minutes for an elevator to be done properly. If it’s claimed to be a test, remember the A17.1 Standard would require that to be performed by elevator personnel. This is one example of the valued work we can do and also benefit from. Do the math on 20-30 minutes an elevator once a month. What are we about to do? How can I or others be injured? What can we do to protect everyone? R. Scott Hultstrom RSHultstrom@hotmail.com, Mobile 520-308-7013 Mechanic Chris Snyder is pictured with a small javelina he harvested with his bow. Glenn Hotchkiss and his daughter Chloe are pictured “chillin” on the lift at Snowbowl in Flagstaff. TK Elevator Tucson branch celebrates 10 years accident free. Congratulations, Brothers; keep up the good work!
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