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IN MEMORIAM: LOUIS BLAIOTTA, SR.
Louis “Lou” Blaiotta, Sr., founder and chairman of Columbia Elevator Products Co., Inc., died peacefully on March 1 at Calvary Hospital in Bronx, New York, at the age of 85. After working at the Williamsburg Elevator Products Division for several years, in the mid 1960s, he presented his employers, the Katz family, with a "different" concept of marketing elevator entrances and cabs to independent elevator contractors, but the Katzes did not accept it. Blaiotta gave nine months’ notice that he wished to pursue his concept on his own. This resulted in the formation of Columbia. His company went on from humble beginnings as a 10,000-sq.-ft. facility in Port Chester, New York, to become one of North America’s largest independent elevator architectural products manufacturers, with nearly 300,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing and engineering facilities located in Bridgeport, Connecticut; Miami; and Winfield, Kansas. Blaiotta was a member of many industry associations, boards and committees. He received the prestigious National Association of Elevator Contractors (NAEC) Distinguished Service Award (now the William C. Sturgeon Distinguished Service Award) in 1991, and, in 2013, he was presented with honorary lifetime NAEC membership. Blaiotta is survived by his wife of 64 years, Marie, three children and three grandchildren: Margaret (married to Paul) Gilhooley and daughter, Maria; Dione (married to Tom) Birdsall and son, Dillon; and Louis "L.J." (married to Laura) Blaiotta, Jr. and daughter, Alexandra.
 
EIGHT SETS OF ESCALATORS AT NEW LONDON CROSSRAIL STATION
 
TORONTO GETTING ONE OF TALLEST OFFICE TOWERS YET
 
LEEDS HOPES TO GET AN INTERNATIONAL ICONIC BUILDING
 
HOTEL, APARTMENT TOWERS TO JOIN GOLD COAST SKYLINE

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In Memoriam: Louis Blaiotta, Sr.

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today's podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com.

SCHINDLER VT SYSTEM TO SERVE NYC’S ONE VANDERBILT
One Vanderbilt, a skyline-defining building in New York City (NYC) ELEVATOR WORLD has been watching closely, now has a vertical-transportation (VT) partner in Schindler, with a contract awarded by construction manager AECOM Tishman Construction. The 58-story, 1.7-million-sq.-ft. office tower designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox is being built in Midtown adjacent to Grand Central Terminal. SL Green Realty Corp. is the developer, and the terminal will receive US$220 million in infrastructure upgrades. One Vanderbilt will be outfitted with 42 elevators and five escalators. Thirty of the elevators will be equipped with Schindler's PORT destination-dispatch technology. The building is expected to open in 2020.
 
TEXAS-BASED HEARTLAND ELEVATOR ACQUIRED BY KONE
KONE announced on April 3 it has acquired the service and repair business of Heartland Elevator, LCC, of Lewisville, Texas, including its operations throughout the Dallas area. Observing the acquisition strengthens KONE's local operations and brings additional talent and experience to the Dallas area, KONE said Heartland was founded in 2014 and has built a "solid reputation of performing high-quality service, modernization and repair work." Executive Vice President for KONE Americas Larry Wash welcomed Heartland employees to the KONE team.
 
ALIMAK BMUs FOR CENTERPIECE OF EXPO 2020 DUBAI
Cimolai Rimond Middle East has placed an SEK32-million (US$3.8-million) order with Alimak Group for its CoxGomyl building maintenance units (BMUs) to maintain and clean the special fabric elements that form the external skin of Al Wasl Plaza, the centerpiece of Expo 2020 Dubai. Designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, the structure will be topped by a dome trellis structure 67.5 m tall and 130 m wide. When finished, it will consist of 13,600 m of intricate steelwork and weigh 2,265 mT. Alimak's CoxGomyl will supply, install, test and commission the BMUs, with delivery anticipated by mid 2019.
 
EMR REDESIGNS WEBSITE
Electric Motor Repair Co. (EMR) has launched a new website. In addition to easier navigation, there is a new blog, EMR Today, featuring such useful topics as industry trends, expert advice and technician tips. With additional online form options, businesses can now submit more comprehensive service maintenance requests. The company added that there are also “updated imagery, features and content. EMR’s roots date back to 1927 in Baltimore, and the site reflects the growth of the brand today."
 
CHILD DIES AFTER RESIDENTIAL LIFT MISHAP IN DHAKA
A 10-year-old girl was pronounced dead after she was critically injured in a lift in a multistory residential building in the Shantinagar area of Dhaka, Bangladesh, on March 29, the Dhaka Tribune reports. The source said the child became trapped in the lift door and was hit in the head when her family boarded the lift and it went up. The building contains 180 flats and is served by six elevators and three lift operators. The victim's family, as well as other residents, said the elevator's sensors were not working properly — an issue a building employee said he was unaware of.
 
JAPAN AIMS FOR FULL STEP-FREE ACCESS AT AIRPORTS, STATIONS
Looking ahead to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, the Japanese government aims to increase step-free access to 100% from 87.2% at facilities with more than 3,000 daily users by March 2021, Japan Today reports. Major train stations, bus terminals and airports will be the focus. Japan also aims to provide more low-floor buses and, according to the source, "create easily accessible environments and promote urban planning for them."

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Schindler VT System to Serve NYC’s One Vanderbilt

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In Memoriam: Louis Blaiotta, Sr.

Elevator World

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