Building Elevator Connections: The Value of NAEC Membership | Amy DiPaolo
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If you’re interested in becoming an NAEC member and learning about the many benefits they offer, please contact Paula Sanchez at (770)-760-9660, or by email at membership@naec.org.
Intro:
In this conversation, I sat down with Amy DiPaolo, the president of the National Association of Elevator Contractors, to discuss her personal experiences with the NAEC, the benefits of membership, and their initiatives aimed at education, safety, and empowerment. Amy encourages elevator professionals to get involved with the association to experience greater personal and professional development.
Transcript:
Amy DiPaolo (00:02)
There is nothing that is going to negatively affect your business by becoming a member of the NAEC. It is only going to be an extreme value to you. But you get out of it what you put into it. So please, if you’re going to join.
be a part of it and try to attend, even if you can’t go to conventions and conferences, there’s so many town hall meetings that you can attend online or Women in Motion meetings or, various virtual meetings that are available to you, as well as just all of the normal programs that the NAEC has that can help your business. So there’s no risk, I believe, in
trying it for a year, putting a little effort into it. I don’t think you’ll ever look back.
Matt Allred (00:46)
Hello and welcome to the Elevator Careers Podcast brought to you by the Allred Group. I’m your host, Matt Allred. In this conversation, I sat down with Amy DiPaolo, the president of the National Association of Elevator Contractors, to discuss her personal experiences with the NAEC, the benefits of membership, and their initiatives aimed at education, safety, and empowerment. Amy encourages elevator professionals to get involved with the association to experience greater personal and professional development.
For further details on becoming an NAEC member and to learn about the many benefits they offer, please contact Paula Sanchez at (770)-760-9660 or by email at membership@naec.org.
Matt Allred (01:34)
Amy, welcome to the show.
Amy DiPaolo (01:36)
Thanks Matt. Thanks for having me.
Matt Allred (01:37)
Thank you. appreciate
I know you’re super busy and even more busy now that you’re the president of the NAEC.
Amy DiPaolo (01:47)
Yes, that definitely has added a lot to my busy schedule, but I am very happy to do it.
Matt Allred (01:55)
Very cool. actually, that’s a lot of what I want to talk to you about today is the NAEC your involvement, and your time as president. So I’m just curious, how long have you been part of the NAEC?
Amy DiPaolo (02:09)
couple over a couple of decades now, when I first went over to the independent side of the business is when I was kind of introduced more to the NAEC. yeah, so it’s, it’s been quite a while.
Matt Allred (02:23)
Very cool. just for our listeners who, you know, maybe we’ll have someone who’s not from the industry, the National Association of Elevator Contractors. I want to say the full name just so they’re not wondering what acronym we’re talking about. But so it sounds like you’ve been there a while. You’ve probably seen some pretty big changes over the years.
Amy DiPaolo (02:42)
Yeah, I mean, they’re all for the better. You know, obviously the association is growing and changing as the industry grows and changes. You know, the leadership has changed over the years. I think we’re in a fantastic position right now with the leadership and the structure of the organization to really benefit the industry as a whole.
Matt Allred (03:02)
Yeah, that’s great. So let’s just talk about the best benefits that the NAEC offers? What are some of the reasons to join, if you will?
Amy DiPaolo (03:13)
Sure, well, you know, there’s so many reasons to join, right? For OEMs, it’s a good way to get your product out there to the rest of the industry. For independents, it’s a gigantic support system that you don’t necessarily have like the OEMs do as far as education and even benefits.
supporting your day-to-day functions of your company. For everyone, OEMs and independents and suppliers, it’s about relationship building. So there’s just a multitude, and it doesn’t matter if you’re OEM, independent, a supplier, US, foreign country that wants to do business in the US. There are so many benefits to the NAEC. To me, it’s a must if you’re in the industry you really need.
need to be a member.
Matt Allred (04:05)
Yeah, let’s dig into that just a little bit more, like your personal experience. Where have you felt like you’ve benefited the most from your involvement?
Amy DiPaolo (04:15)
So for me, again, it’s been decades for me. So it was kind of a lot of personal growth through the NAEC where I was able to meet people. And it really helped my individual career. And just the relationship building for me was the biggest aspect. Because at that point, was kind of situated in my career, I thought.
you know, until I got into the NAEC and just was able to expand my relationships and that helped me grow personally, changing jobs, getting different job offers, starting a company, getting the support from the NAEC. So the relationship building really helped me the most in my career.
Matt Allred (04:59)
Very cool. Do feel like it helped you take on maybe new challenges, new roles, new jobs, new things that maybe you wouldn’t have done otherwise because you felt more empowered or more educated or more connected or…
Amy DiPaolo (05:12)
Yeah, it’s a million percent. It helped me do other roles and it really was one of the driving forces for starting my own company because I had all of the connections. Connections are the biggest deal, you know, and it’s not just connections, you know, professionally, you do get them personally. And I think that’s the way with any industry and life is the personal connections and relationships that you build. And it’s just
in your industry, what is the avenue that helps you get there and in our industry it’s the NAEC.
Matt Allred (05:47)
Very cool, thank you, thank you. So part of what I’m hearing you saying is that were it not for the connections and the things that you’ve learned and gained that you may not have started your own company, you may not have even taken that path.
Amy DiPaolo (06:01)
Yeah, I don’t think I would have. I may have wound up, you know, going back to an OEM or, so it was a big force in some of my decision making. You know, the relationships that I built from the NAEC helped me get to where I am today.
Matt Allred (06:17)
Very cool. Yeah, yeah, thank you.
So let’s talk just a little bit about Women in Motion. I don’t know how long that’s been part of NAEC, but I’m curious to know not only your involvement, but a little bit more about the actual program.
Amy DiPaolo (06:31)
Yeah, so Women in Motion is relatively new to the NAEC within the last four years or so, five years. Prior to that, it was a group called VIEW, Vertical Initiative for Elevator and Escalator of Women. It was started maybe about 10, 15 years ago with me and Martha Hulgan, Marie McDonald, many other women who just wanted like a support system.
Especially if they’re going to conventions or conferences alone just to have somebody that they could You know do education classes with and grab a meal with. That’s how that’s how it started that VIEW never really got off the ground because we just really didn’t have a lot of backing and At the point where the NAEC kind of took over for Women in Motion. I was leading the VIEW and it was too much for me to do on my own and
happenstance Renee, the executive director of the NAEC reached out to me to talk about a women’s group and we were able to connect and she offered to take it into the NAEC as part of the NAEC as a committee and I was just so relieved to get the help and since that happened we have absolutely taken off from
you know, just a small group in the beginning where we started a committee and I was the, inaugural chair of Women in Motion for the NAEC as well. And I stayed on for about three years. Then I became a liaison and then just a committee member. But in the beginning, you know, maybe we had 20, 30 members and now we’re into the hundreds of members for Women in Motion. So it has just grown
Matt Allred (08:05)
wow.
Amy DiPaolo (08:08)
dramatically and I’m so proud of it and the incredibly smart and talented women that have stepped up. Recent past chair, Kelly Oberhardt and current chair, Vanessa Kline just really, really intelligent and really prophetic leaders, honestly, because
This is, we’re setting an example for all the women in the industry to show them that there is a projected path for leadership where maybe there wasn’t before. And I’m not saying, that we never had any opportunities or men don’t help or that it’s just a one-sided thing. That’s totally not the case. You know, my mentors were all men and I appreciate that. And this isn’t about anything but showing support and empowering women.
so that we can show the industry that we’re not just leaders, we are a big part of the industry and we can do anything anybody else does and we encourage everyone that’s members of the NAEC, male, female, to join every session that we do. So we just want to show the NAEC and the industry that we can offer, programs that benefit the whole membership.
So it’s not just while it is about empowering women and lifting them up and getting a pipeline of leadership, it’s also about just giving quality products to the members of the NAEC. So I’m really proud of what it’s become. It’s really just taking off. And I can’t believe that we’re at the point where We are at so quickly. And I think there’s nothing but good for the future of that committee.
Matt Allred (09:50)
That’s awesome. I mean, I’ve heard great things about it. In fact, I interviewed Vanessa Kline and wanted to share that clip with
Matt Allred (09:57)
So Vanessa, what has been the biggest benefit to your being involved with Women in Motion?
Vanessa Kline (10:02)
So my involvement with women emotion has been ongoing for the last three years. Most recently now I’m chair and really kind of just looking forward to being part of, you know, the movement. We’re trying to make big things happen. We’re trying to really grow in regards to what I’ve gotten from it is, you know, really just the relationship aspect of these women that I have met in the industry have
Matt Allred (10:05)
of an emotion has been ongoing for the last three years. Most recently now I’m chair ⁓ and really kind of just looking forward to being part of the movement. We’re trying to make big things happen. We’re trying to really grow in regards to what I’ve gotten from it is really just the relationship aspect. These women that I have met in the industry have
Vanessa Kline (10:29)
made me a better salesperson, better sales manager, a better leader.
Matt Allred (10:29)
made me a better salesperson, a better sales manager, a better leader.
Vanessa Kline (10:34)
Every time I get together with somebody recently, we just had a virtual event, you know, and listening to everybody’s story and how they got here and their struggles and their successes. It just you always take away another little piece that’s making you a better person and not just in the industry, just like in whole. The group of women that we have are strong and we have about 200 members right now.
Matt Allred (10:34)
Every time I get together with somebody recently, just had a virtual event, you know, and listening to everybody’s story and how they got here and their struggles and their successes. just, you always take away another little piece that’s making you a better And not just in the industry, just like in The group of women that we have are strong and we have about 200 members right
now. We’re being to grow larger for four.
Vanessa Kline (10:58)
looking to grow even, larger for sure.
Matt Allred (11:01)
Is Women in Motion only for women No, it’s not. And we would like that to be loud and clear. You know, sometimes people just assume that, but we definitely want everybody to be part of it. We want you guys to be…
Vanessa Kline (11:06)
No, it’s not. And we would like that message to be loud and clear. You know, sometimes people just assume that, but we definitely want everybody to be part of it. We want you guys to be at our
panel discussions and our breakfasts and our lunches and please join our virtual events. I think that it’s important for men and women alike to kind of listen to, you know, the story and everybody can grow from each other. So.
We welcome everybody.
Matt Allred (11:37)
Big thank you to Vanessa. So let’s talk a little bit about NexGen. And again, I don’t know how long that’s been part of the NAEC, but tell me a little bit about that.
Amy DiPaolo (11:50)
Yeah, NexGen is another, I think, very important committee. It was started, I think, a couple decades ago, then kind of went by the wayside and resurged in the recent years with the leadership that we’ve had there. And it’s a huge, huge stepping stone for the youngest generation to, again, create a pipeline for leadership positions. Right?
It’s one of my biggest things, not just as the NAEC president, but personally to train and mentor the next generation. I’ve said it for many years now because of the lack of people in blue collar companies that are coming into it. I think it’s not just our industry, it’s a lot of blue collar industries that have a lack. There’s a big generation gap between
who’s retiring in the next five to 10 years and who’s been retiring and that next generation that’s coming in. So it’s so important for us to train that leadership, that next generation for leadership and get that pipeline out there. And that’s what NexGen does. It’s really fantastic. It’s bringing all of them together as a group and being trained by mentors and leaders of different generations or even some from their generation.
And a lot of times NexGen has their own meetings and maybe even their own little sub-conventions and trips and whatnot. So I do see incredible activity in NexGen as well that people under 40 in this industry are very much into it and like to participate. So I think it’s extremely important to the future of our industry and this association.
to encourage.
Matt Allred (13:40)
For sure. Yeah, I mean, you were talking
about people retiring, right? When somebody walks out the door and they take 40 years of experience, you can’t just replace that. And so, you know, the more that you can give to train, you know, coach, whatever it is to the upcoming generation, the quicker they can ramp up and try to fill those shoes, because those are huge, shoes to fill. So, you know, I did get a chance to talk with Morgan Jones and I’m going to share that.
that clip with
Morgan Jones (14:10)
I think there’s a lot of benefits being part of the NexGen community and speaking from experience as somebody who wasn’t always a part of the elevator industry I didn’t grow up in it. It wasn’t a family business for me. it’s really intimidating to show up to some of these big industry events and to not know anybody or to see everybody already talking to somebody else. And through
the NexGen community through some people who kind of held a mentorship spot for me in that existing community. I was able to get introduced to more people. I got more comfortable kind of with the community itself. Just exposure to that group and those networking opportunities to kind of get my foot in the door and get to know people really put me on a path to growing within the industry,
I think the most important thing that NexGen is creating is a sense of community across all of the young people in the industry, but there is so much more than that. There is education, packed retreats that we do once a year. We always have networking events whenever we can kind of come together as a larger group, try to do smaller regional events as well, and virtual meetings to stay connected and things like that.
but we also have a really great WhatsApp group that everybody in the industry is open to. And that really works where one day it may be, guys, has anybody experienced this before? Share some wisdom with me. It’s a really great,
group for you to float things around, get input or advice from other people. And like I said, a sense of community,
if you have any interest at all either being in the NexGen community as a younger person or investing in that whole demographic, there’s a place for you. We’d love to have you join any of our events. We would love for you to be a speaker to that group. There’s just so many ways to get plugged in and I would welcome the opportunity to chat or share more with anybody anytime.
Matt Allred (16:15)
Big thanks to Morgan. So let’s talk about education and safety. I know that’s a big part of what NAEC is about. I’m curious what your experience has been with that.
Amy DiPaolo (16:27)
Yeah, so I definitely have had unique experience with the NAEC being on both sides of the coin for union shops and merit shops. So the education is important for the NAEC, extremely important for merit shops with the CET, CAT programs, but it’s also important for union shops with the VTMP. So there’s a little something for everybody, but that is a huge aspect for
Merit Shops. It’s been accredited, in so many states and they’re accepting it for the mechanic licenses and it’s a very rigorous program and, every year we have experts looking at it and we make it more robust. So it’s very important benefit to the membership to have the programs that we do. They really can’t get the education programs anywhere else.
Unless they’re union contractors. But for the VTMP, you know, again, that spreads over contractors, suppliers, union, non-union, everything. So it’s extremely important benefit that the NAEC gives to their memberships, very valuable.
Matt Allred (17:32)
Absolutely.
Yeah, thank you. And I got a chance to talk to Matt Hollinshead and he educated me a bit on these programs and shared some his insights as well. So I’ll share that clip.
Matt Hollinshead (17:45)
The CET education program was very instrumental for me as I was an elevator apprentice When I completed the CET education program, it opened the door for me to receive elevator mechanics licensing in the states that the company I work for operates in.
As my career progressed, the VTMP, which is the vertical transportation management program,
provided another avenue for me to further my education by preparing me for leadership opportunities as a supervisor and a manager for the company that I work for. The VTMP is a education program that is geared more for non-elevator people who are working in the industry or elevator people who are transitioning from just a mechanic role to a supervisor role. The VTMP will introduce
these professionals with elevator specific education to increase their industry knowledge while also building upon their personal management and ethics, sales and marketing, project management and business communication. So on the education front, both the VTMP and the CET education program have been instrumental in my professional development and growth within the elevator industry.
Safety is an important topic for anyone in the elevator industry and it’s an important topic for the NAEC as well. The NAEC is a member of the Elevator Industry Safety Partners. This is a collaborative partnership between organizations including OSHA, NEI, the IUEC, and ECA where safety and health practices are promoted to prevent exposure to industry recognized hazards.
The NAEC also had the privilege of supporting the 2025 publication of the Elevator Industry Field Employee Safety Handbook. This participation allowed the NAEC to take safety concerns we heard from our members and implement them into this new handbook. So from an education and safety standpoint, the NAEC has been crucial for me in the development of my education and the safe practices that I follow so I come home each day.
Matt Allred (19:55)
Big thanks to Matt. And then I wanted to ask, kind of as a new member, obviously it’s been a minute and things have changed a lot, but what was your experience when you were like brand new to the NAEC?
And what was that like?
Amy DiPaolo (20:14)
So I was lucky for me, I had somebody introduce me to the NAEC, so I always kind of had that mentor level to bring me in and help me understand what I needed to do to really get the benefit from everything that the NAEC offers. So as soon as I was a member, not even, you know a couple months later, I was on a committee.
Matt Allred (20:38)
Wow, yeah.
Amy DiPaolo (20:38)
When I
I started, I joined immediately. was on the membership committee and I got involved because my mentor told me, you know, this is the path that you need to do if you want to meet people, become successful, and really take advantage of everything the association has to offer. So really that hasn’t changed. It’s the same thing. If you’re a new member, you know, my advice is to get involved and go to the conventions, go to the conferences if you can, and
also volunteer, volunteer to be on any one of the committees. If you have a certain expertise and you want to help with the education or accreditation or there’s membership committees, there’s so many places that you can volunteer, there’s something for everybody. So I don’t think that that’s changed in the entire time that I’ve been in it. It’s the same philosophy to take advantage of everything that the NAEC has to offer.
Matt Allred (21:29)
Wow, yeah.
That’s great. That’s great. So I did talk to one of our newest member, not newest maybe, but a fairly new member, Bruce Nelson with Hytec joined in just the last few years and had some really good things to say. So I wanna just share his insights.
Matt Allred (21:51)
So Bruce, what was the most beneficial for you coming in as a new member to the NAEC?
Bruce Nelson (21:57)
Well, I would say it’s the support and the backing that you get from the people as well as the partnerships that you immediately gain by being a member. I can’t express enough how much, you know, Danielle and Renee helped us in the very beginning. And you could feel the sense that they really were not only helping, but were wanting us to succeed as a new member. And, you know, four years later, that’s been wildly successful.
Matt Allred (22:23)
So I was gonna ask you, how has that affected Hytec and how you’ve been able to find this new, kind of a new business track for you?
Bruce Nelson (22:33)
It is with Hytec being in business for over 40 years and dominating quite a few other industries, the vertical transportation or elevator industry was really new to us coming out of COVID. So we joined NAEC in 2021, found that the services that we provided to those other industries were really needed in the elevator industry. So the hardest part was going to be learning the industry, meeting the right people, making sure we got the word out.
On the services that we provide. And you know the best thing to say there, Matt, is we’ve doubled our business each year since 2021 in that vertical transportation area. So, you know, kind of falls in the same line. You know, we do the show every year. And our first year we had, you know, little very small table and booth, and then it got a little larger. And, you know, coming into this next year, we’re looking forward to, you know, I think it’s like a 30 by 30 space. So we continue to grow along with their support.
Matt Allred (23:31)
And a big thanks to Bruce, appreciate that. So I wanted to just, you know, obviously look back or kind of refocus on your presidency. And I’m curious what are…
some of the biggest things that you’re excited about. Obviously, we’ve talked about a few of those, but what is most exciting for you?
Amy DiPaolo (23:50)
So I think for me, this year is definitely different, right? So it’s the second time I’ve been on the board. So it’s the sixth year that I’ve served on the board. Last year as vice president, this year as president. And being the president is definitely more rigorous, adds a lot more to your calendar and your schedule.
but it’s also extremely exciting and can be very humbling. You know, I just attended Interlift in Germany this year for the first time, representing the NAEC as president. I had to do a welcome speech where I thanked the international community for inviting us and welcomed them to come to the NAEC in North America and the United States.
Matt Allred (24:21)
Nice, yeah.
Amy DiPaolo (24:39)
It was very exciting. There’s a lot of exposure there and I think a lot of potential, for more suppliers to be involved in the NAEC on an international level and that’s just one place where I’ll be going I’ll also be joining CECA the Canadian Elevator Convention and Just making the rounds and representing the NAEC as president for this year
Matt Allred (24:55)
Nice. ⁓
Amy DiPaolo (25:03)
looking forward to the spring conference, the convention. We have the mid-year board meeting coming up in January. So there’s a lot of travel. It’s a lot of time that you have to put in extra as president. So if you’re going to be on the board, just remember that. I take it very seriously. I represent the association and I want to do it in the best and most professional way possible, which means dedicating a lot of my personal time. And I understood that going in and I’m happy to do it.
And it’s also a personal growth experience for me as everything has been with the NAEC. So it’s just a really exciting time. I’m happy to represent the association and having a really good time doing it and still learning and growing with all the new experiences.
Matt Allred (25:48)
Oh absolutely. And even on an international scale, right? Meeting people that you haven’t met and probably would not have met otherwise. message would you like to share with current NAEC members?
Amy DiPaolo (25:52)
Thanks.
Mm-hmm.
Current members, you know, the same thing I was just saying before, please get involved. You know, we always need volunteers to help out in all the committees. You know, all these committees are formed for a reason. They’re to help support the staff at the NAEC so they can continue the programs that we have in place that support our strategic plan that we’ve developed as an association for our membership. So.
If you are a current member, go to the convention, go to the conference, get involved. It will be so personally rewarding. And if you’re a business owner, it will help your business. You will get support from suppliers and even competitors. I’ve had so many friendly relationships with elevator company owners that I’ve developed over the years.
You can reach out and call them if you’re in a tough situation. So it’s all about the relationship building and you’re going to get out of it what you put into it. So make the effort and it will be rewarding for you.
Matt Allred (27:09)
So the last question I want to ask Amy is in regard to those who, you know, what would you say to those who maybe have not joined, maybe they’re thinking about it, maybe they joined in the past but are not currently members, what would you say to them?
Amy DiPaolo (27:24)
Yeah, I mean, if you’re sitting on the fence and thinking about it, they offer there are some discounts and offers coming up. I would say take advantage of it. There is nothing that is going to negatively affect your business by becoming a member of the NAEC. It is only going to be an extreme value to you. But again, it’s you get out of it what you put into it. So please, if you’re going to join.
be a part of it and try to attend, even if you can’t go to conventions and conferences, there’s so many town hall meetings that you can attend online or Women in Motion meetings that are teams meetings or, you know, various virtual meetings that are available to you, as well as just all of the normal programs that the NAEC has that can help your business. So there’s no risk, I believe, in
trying it for a year, putting a little effort into it. I don’t think you’ll ever look back.
Matt Allred (28:21)
Yeah, no, thank you. And honestly, I kind of want to put my own plug in. I’ve been recruiting elevator people for 14 plus years and it was about four or five years ago that one of my clients said to me, hey, are you going to be at the spring conference? And I was like, yeah, I kind of felt like an outsider. I don’t think I’m really welcome, right? Something like that. And he said, shut up, just come. And so I was like, fine, I’ll show up and…
Amy DiPaolo (28:47)
.
Matt Allred (28:51)
What surprised me, I think more than anything, was just how friendly and welcoming, right? I may have felt like an outsider, but nobody treated me like an outsider. Nobody gave me the impression that, ⁓ you’re a recruiter. You don’t really belong here. I never once got that. And it’s been a great experience all the way through. Amy, thanks again for, first of all, for your service to the NAEC, to all of its members.
your willingness to serve as a president. Thank you for being willing to do this interview with me. It’s always a pleasure. I appreciate all you do and yeah, just thank you.
Amy DiPaolo (29:30)
Thanks, Matt. It’s definitely my pleasure as well.
Matt Allred:
Thanks again for listening to the elevator careers podcast. For further details on becoming a member of NAEC, and to learn about the many benefits they offer, please contact Paula Sanchez at 770-760-9660, or by email membership@naec.org. Her information is also listed in the description below. Please like and subscribe, and until next time, stay safe.