Worldwide company stays in Lucas County

Schindler Elevator decided Holland was the right spot to establish their North American headquarters.

Good news on the business front in our area today. The second largest maker of elevators worldwide is staying put in Lucas County. Schindler Elevator decided Holland was the right spot to establish their North American headquarters.

Next time you ride an elevator or escalator notice the name plate. If it says Schindler- Haughton it has a Toledo link. Schindler Elevator bought Toledo's Haughton elevator in 1979. Toledo then became 1 of 5 Schindler service centers nationwide.

But Schindler wanted to consolidate those centers. The question was where. "We were strongly considering other markets throughout North America." So Rod Hoyng with Schindler contacted the company that built Schindler's offices 20-years ago looking for help.

Bill Bostelman of Bostelman Construction linked Schindler to the RGP and the Lucas County Improvement Corporation. Schindler realized by staying put they could grow in toledo. "We had some 90 employees here doing such a wonderful job for us so we decided that at the end of the day that we wanted to build on that strength and carry us forward," says Hoyng, VP of existing operations.

Schindler is investing $6-million and growing its workforce from 94 to 223 so far. They're expanding the service call center, now the only one in North America. He's growing its circuit board production line, and even establishing a training center that will attract 1500 technicians each year.

Schindler is also tapping into UT's engineering school for talented workers, using BAX global shipping out of Toledo Express to send parts, and hiring local construction and supply companies to build the high-tech training facility.

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