Ali Santiago at a job site, seen here pulling up a beam for an elevator shaft.

Ali Santiago, the amiable Founder and President of Magnum Elevator LLC, saw an opportunity and ran with it. He had been working as a supervisor in the elevator industry for many years when he suddenly lost his job. Rather than let that get him down, he decided instead to take his vast knowledge and supervisory skills and start his own company later that year. He founded Magnum Elevator in 2015, headquartered in the Bronx, Ali’s hometown.

Specializing in new commercial construction as well as renovations, especially for mid- to high-rise buildings, Magnum Elevator has become a go-to resource for the New York area, and is now branching out into the neighboring Connecticut market. The main services provided are elevator design and manufacture, estimation, installation, 24-hour service calls, elevator repairs and, of course, troubleshooting.

Ali shares, “We design it. We take it from concept to design and then we manufacture and we install, whether it’s hydraulic elevators, traction elevators or Machine Room-Less (MRL) elevators. And we stand by our work. Our team is very well versed in our products and services.”

Embracing Innovation and Technology

Not satisfied with the status quo, Ali says, “We strive to be as innovative as possible, presenting new industry technologies to all of our customers, even those with existing equipment. We are always trying to upgrade the technology to be as safe and reliable as possible at all times.”

As an example, he says, “One thing that we just got into, mainly for condominium buildings, is automated parking systems, which is fairly new to the market. Basically, you drive up, the system takes your car and parks it automatically. It’s like a huge vending machine for cars.”

Challenging Projects…No Problem

Among the many projects Magnum Elevator has undertaken, a few stand out for level of difficulty and successful execution. One such example is 15 West 39th Street in Manhattan. Ali recalls the challenge of a renovation job in an extremely busy commercial building. “It’s not like we could empty out the building to do our job. We had to do it while the building had high traffic. As a complete renovation, we basically took out all the old equipment and we installed all new equipment without leaving the building without elevator service.”

Another project of note took place at the Indian Point nuclear power plant. “That was a very tough job,” shares Ali. “Because of the nature of the facility, we had to go through a lot to install that elevator due to security reasons. Everything was a security issue, so we had to get clearance for all the materials. But we did it, and we did it well.”

A more typical project includes a new construction, low-rise residential building in Flushing, Queens, which Ali says was “A walk in the park,” adding, “we had no issues whatsoever. We installed a whole Magnum Elevator system there.”

Here to Serve

Not satisfied to offer just a basic level of service, Ali proudly shares what he considers Magnum Elevator’s biggest differentiator: its ability to build personal relationships with customers. He says, “Unlike with other companies where a customer might call to try to reach their project manager and they have to jump through hoops to connect, with us, anybody who wants to reach me—the president—or any of my supervisors, can reach us at any given time. We keep everything straightforward and we establish a clear line of communication between all our field personnel and our customers.”

Safety and Experience

With about 14 staff members, Magnum Elevator has robust sales, service and bidding departments, with the majority of its employees coming from the local community. “We hire experienced mechanics only, but if someone’s looking for a job and they’re from the community, even if they don’t have any experience, we can bring them on as an apprentice, then we do in-house training,” says Ali.

As for safety, perhaps the most critical aspect of the industry, Magnum Elevator is a leader in safety performance, giving customers confidence as far as the maintenance of equipment and adherence to codes. Ali concludes, “We’re on top of all the local code compliances, so our customers can rest assure they’ll be free from violations and any penalties. We give them peace of mind.”