Otis Elevator: Made To Move You

MADE TO MOVE YOU

story by Tori Campbell

Robert Gokey, Executive Director, North American story by Cameron Operations Phillips

“We are committed to creating an environment where all employees can be themselves and share ideas openly."

A world leader in elevators, escalators, and moving walkways, Otis Elevator serves customers in over 200 countries and territories around the world and maintains more than two million elevators and escalators. The positive allure Otis brought to Florence County in 2012 was hard to ignore. What is now a 500,000-squarefoot facility that also includes a ten-story elevator testing tower was planted in Florence and offered 350 job positions upon its arrival. In its tenth year of manufacturing in Florence as The North American Manufacturing Center of Excellence, Otis is now home to more than 600 employees who are considered the driving force behind the success of this location. Otis employees include production associates, engineers, digital technology experts, as well as sales and functional specialists. Robert Gokey, Executive Director, North American Operations for Otis, describes the Florence facility as a culture focused on six behaviors - pace, empathy, collaboration, inclusion, imagination, and empowerment. Robert continues, “The team here at Otis is very diverse and unique. Everyone is encouraged to voice their opinions.” Robert describes his most rewarding moments with Otis as watching his team excel. “We had employees recognized at both the BEYA (Black Engineer of the Year Awards) and the Women of Color STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) awards this year. We were also a 2022 recipient of the SC OSHA Palmetto Shining Star Award and most recently passed our annual ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 audits with no nonconformities.” With competitive salaries and tremendous room to grow, a position within Otis is an attractive career decision. Additionally, Otis offers a comprehensive benefits program, a 401k with a generous company

match, promotion opportunities, and an inclusive work environment. “One of our best benefits is our Employee Scholar Program that offers 100% tuition reimbursement,” says Robert. “As a company, we have invested more than $95 million in our colleagues through this program, awarding more than 5,500 degrees in more than 60 countries.” Collectively, Otis has over 68,000 colleagues around the world. Otis is where collaboration meets innovation and empowerment to help each employee reach new heights. Volunteerism and community are a large part of Otis’s culture as well. Robert adds, “As a company, we have a goal of logging 500,000 colleague volunteer hours by 2030. Made to Move Communities™ is a global challenge that pairs local students with Otis volunteers to address one of the most significant issues of our time. Last year, a Florence high school team finished in second place and was awarded $15,000 for their school.” Otis participates in other local volunteer opportunities such as Adopt-A-Highway and The Salvation Army Angel Tree. Additionally, OTIS's Florence location will soon offer an apprenticeship program for CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machinists. For more information on Otis and how to become a team member, visit www.OTIS.com.