Aprentice Arnoldo Graeda with mechanic Michael Knight

I heard stories about working on elevators and it sounded like a lot of fun, so I took the test and got in. You wouldn’t expect to be building an elevator hanging 10 floors above a building, putting things together, when before you didn’t even know how they worked. Welding and drilling holes, you learn something new every day when you are working with a good mechanic, like Mike.

And then you get to see the finished product. The car has people in it and you know it’s a safe car. It makes you feel real good. It’s all about safety. Elevators hold people, and in the long run, your mother or father could be going up in an elevator you built. So you have to make sure everything is all right. It’s exciting. Not that many people get to say they’ve built an elevator. Only a small number of us are doing it.