IN MEMORIAM: EDITH JOYCE JAMES
Edith Joyce James, a pioneer for women in the vertical-transportation (VT) industry, passed away on January 12 at her son's home in Tucson, Arizona, at the age of 91. James began her VT career in St. Louis in 1971 with William A. Miller Machine & Elevator, going on to run the company. She founded James Elevator in St. Louis, then enjoyed a 28-year career in structural steel as owner/operator of J&J Steel Erectors, also in St. Louis. James inspired her son, Lester Appel, to pursue an elevator career. Appel described his mom as "a larger-than-life personality" who was a fixture at National Association of Elevator Contractors conventions for many years. James is survived by her children, Lester and Andrea, and four grandchildren. Appel invites those who knew James to a celebration of her life at Moulin Events, 2017 Chouteau Avenue, in St. Louis on June 3. People may RSVP to Rose Appel at (503) 407-1073 or Mariam Appel at marianappel@gmail.com.
NYC GETTING ITS FIRST MARGARITAVILLE IN TIMES SQUARE
New York City’s (NYC) first Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville is coming to a vacant site at 560 Seventh Avenue in Times Square, New York YIMBY reports. Being developed by Soho Properties in partnership with Chip, Andrew Weiss, and MHP Real Estate Services, the development promises to provide tourists and locals alike a laid-back experience in the heart of bustling Times Square. On the drawing boards are a 29-story, 234-room hotel, three-story restaurant, pool and rooftop bar. The US$300-million Margaritaville Resort Hotel is expected to open in late 2020. Margaritaville CEO John Cohlan described it as "the perfect complement to the exciting, fast-paced energy of Times Square."
PRIVATE ELEVATORS AMONG AMENITIES IN MONTREAL TOWER
Private elevators are among amenities Humaniti Tower, a 39-story building going up in the heart of Montreal, will boast, SkyRise Cities reports. Located where Quartier des Spectacles and Old Montreal meet, Humaniti will include approximately 160 residences on the upper floors, a Marriott hotel on the eighth through 19th floors, 57,000 sq. ft. of office space, 17,000 sq. ft. of retail and five stories of underground parking. The sleek, geometric design by Montreal architecture firm LeMay will aim for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification. Developers are Cogir Real Estate, DevMcGill and the Fonds de Solidarité FTQ. A summer 2020 opening is anticipated.
ORONA APPROVES FINANCIALS, CONFIRMS MERGER
Spanish manufacturer Orona approved its 2017 financial statements and confirmed the merger between Orona S. Coop. and Electra Vitoria S. Coop. on April 27. Attendees also agreed to promote the Orona UE Project, which it said "aims to strengthen the company as the only lift operator in Europe capable of competing with the top four global companies currently leading the industry." Triggered by the merger, the project is aimed at extending the values of Orona’s cooperative experience to the European level and growing the cooperative's size. Increases of both human-resources and equipment, based on its commercial network and technological capacities, are expected. As compared to the previous year, 2017 saw strong gains for the company.
