ST. LOUIS and NEWARK, Del. and TORONTO, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ATIS, Liberty Elevator Experts, and KJA Consultants today announced that they have merged into one company, ATIS Ascenda Partners, LLC, creating North America’s largest provider of comprehensive elevator and escalator management and advisory services. St. Louis-based investment and management firm Cequel III is the privately held company’s lead investor and has supported the growth of ATIS since 2016.
The merger positions ATIS Ascenda Partners as a one-stop shop to meet all elevator and escalator consulting, inspection, and compliance needs, including new installation, modernization, repair, safety inspection, due diligence, and design assistance services. With more than 300 team members supporting over 25,000 clients throughout the U.S. and Canada, plus proprietary elevator and escalator management software, the merged company can more effectively help customers optimize the performance, safety, and regulatory compliance of their vertical transportation systems.
Top executives from ATIS, Liberty, and KJA will assume leadership roles for ATIS Ascenda Partners, including:
- ATIS’ Chip Smith as CEO
- KJA’s Mark Davies as Chief Strategy Officer, responsible for global strategy and consulting
- Liberty Elevator’s Chris Dodds as Chief Growth Officer, responsible for sales, marketing, mergers and acquisitions.
“This merger is a transformational step in advancing our shared vision to be the global leader in vertical transportation consulting, inspections and managed services, and we’re excited about the benefits this merger will bring to our team members, customers, and the overall industry,” said CEO Chip Smith. “This unprecedented combination significantly increases our knowledge base and will accelerate our mission of empowering customers with expertise and insights to improve elevator safety, compliance and performance.”
Other top executives for the merged company include Ryan Tkach, Chief Financial Officer; Rob Isabelle, Chief Operating Officer, Canada; Charlie Slater, Chief Operating Officer, US; and Dave Estes, Chief People & Administrative Officer.
About ATIS Ascenda Partners’ Operating Companies
ATIS was founded in 2012 and has quickly become the leading full-service elevator management, consulting, and inspection services company in the U.S., with more than 140 Qualified Elevator Inspectors (QEIs) serving all 50 states. ATIS is leading the industry with its proprietary elevator and escalator management software that also leverages IoT and inspection/violation tracking to significantly improve device safety, compliance, and performance. For more information, please visit atis.com.
Liberty Elevator Experts was founded by Chris Dodds in 2014 and has grown in eight short years to be a leading vertical transportation professional services firm throughout the US. Liberty understands how important a hassle-free experience is to property owners, on and off-site. Liberty’s success is a result of this customer-first attitude and the hard work and dedication of their experienced team. For more information, please visit libertyelevatorexperts.com.
KJA Consultants is an engineering consulting firm specializing in elevators and escalators. Since 1965, KJA has designed vertical transportation systems, managed their installation, and improved their performance for commercial, institutional and residential buildings throughout North America. With a strong presence in major Canadian cities, KJA is an industry pioneer in developing cutting edge ride quality analysis tools, traffic measurement methods, and state-of-the-art traffic analysis simulation software. For more information, please visit kja.com.
Media Contact: Pete Abel, Pete.Abel@Cequel3.com, 314-550-7080
