Transitioning into the Elevator Industry & Leading CECA with Julie Gilby

The vertical transportation industry is famous for pulling people in and never letting them go, but everyone’s origin story is a little different. For Julie Gilby, President of CKG Elevators in Nova Scotia and the current President of the Canadian Elevator Contractors Association (CECA), the path to elevators didn't start with blueprints or mechanical training, it started in the restaurant industry. After spending 20 years climbing the corporate ladder to become a Senior Director of Business Development for Tim Hortons, Julie found herself traveling constantly and missing out on family time. When the opportunity arose to join forces with her husband, Andrew, at CKG Elevator, she traded the coffee business for vertical transportation. While she quickly realized the elevator industry speaks its own complex language, she also discovered that her executive skills in strategic planning, business development, and team leadership transferred seamlessly. In this inspiring episode of _Let’s Talk Elevators_, host Morgan Jones sits down with Julie to unpack her journey as a prominent woman in a traditionally male-dominated field. Julie opens up about her initial experiences learning the ropes from the ground up, the incredible warmth and support she received from independent contractors, and how she found her unique value proposition despite not having a hands-on technical background. Julie and Morgan dive deep into the vital work CECA is doing to foster the next generation of vertical transportation professionals. Julie highlights the immense success of CECA's 19-39 Club*, which provides a dedicated networking and learning space for young adults entering the trade, as well as the *ElevateHer group, which creates safe spaces for women to build confidence, share experiences, and step into leadership positions. Listeners will also hear Julie share her ultimate piece of leadership advice,a mantra given to her by a mentor when she was just 18 years old: "Fly the plane." Whether navigating the logistical chaos of planning a massive industry convention, steering an independent business, or adapting to the looming, fast-paced world of Artificial Intelligence in field diagnostics, Julie explains how keeping a laser focus on strategic results and filtering out the background noise is the key to moving forward. Tune in to discover how local community engagement ("share of heart"), intentional mentorship, and increasing trades visibility for high school graduates can help shape a stronger, more diverse future for vertical transportation. This episode of Let’s Talk Elevators is proudly sponsored by Hyperion Solutions, dedicated to providing tailored solutions that elevate the customer experience.