Since starting Alliance Elevator Ontario in 2019, Tony Pallo has continually leveraged his extensive experience in the elevator solutions business and passion for customer service in providing elite services to clients across southern Ontario.
Pallo, who originally hails from Cambridge and now makes Brantford his home, discussed his start in his career.
“I was born and grew up in Cambridge…and have been living in Brantford for the last eight years. Between that I spent some time out west…I moved around a little bit…in western provinces like Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, and as far as Vancouver Island. My background professionally has always been in electronics and mechanical…in a few different fields, but mainly elevating devices and that sort of thing,” he said. “I’ve always had really good support from some of my close friends, and always from my family. So, it was actually a friend that got me a gig working in a local shop in Cambridge…called Cambridge Elevating. They’re a really good company…giving me a good start in my career in the trade. I progressed from there…starting my apprenticeship…just doing electrical bench wiring and gained some experience and knowledge..and then they started a division for commercial installations….I was selected as one of two technicians to spearhead the field work. So that’s how I got into the trade and got my ticket in the commercial trade for elevating devices.”
The tradesman would then gain additional experience across multiple companies related to different heavy-duty lifts and hydraulics.
“I held different positions as installation supervisor with one of the big four elevator companies. I’ve also been the business development manager for another company…they were trying to get some traction with their material lift equipment…and then I started to notice a gap in how a lot of these larger corporations were more reactive to a lot of what was happening…in the intake coming from their customers, rather than being proactive. So, there were these gaps in customer service [as well as these] communication gaps. And that’s when I started Alliance Elevator Ontario in 2019…to bridge that gap and offer another option to customers,” Pallo noted,” So, we have built a great reputation, and that’s upheld by maintaining all levels of transparency and customer service…and giving people a better option rather than always getting stuck in a corner and feeling like they’re dealing with proprietary equipment and a company that just wants to lock them into something they don’t have any control over.”
However, there were some challenges early on when starting the company.
“When we first started…we were hard-bound by all those COVID restrictions. This company was actually born out of a really hard time…[though we were considered] necessity trades as people still needed their elevators services…and, another thing is that….starting as a zero debt business and not having the bank have a fold in the company…was another big challenges…because he had to maintain minimal overhead while making things happen. Personally, I was involved in the day-to-day field work…I remember dragging these scaffolds that we would erect on site. They were steel tubes that came in five foot five sections and weighed up to 80 pounds…three to four stories. It was a tremendous amount of work,” he noted.
Over the years, through a dedicated effort to work closely with his clients, Pallo developed a people-first approach to his business.
“It’s a full-service company…[which] means we do everything from top to bottom for elevating devices, whether it be new installations, maintenance, modernization, or some other services that’s required… and most are full-service companies; can offer the new installation, the maintenance or the service top too…but what differs us from the competition is the attention to detail when we’re on a job site. For example, we have mechanics that have the training to do all installation work from start to finish,” he noted. “We don’t take crews off and switch them between the jobs…and also, we take pride in our work. We have a crew that really puts the time, care, and detail into each job…and finish it with the belief that one of their own family members would be using this equipment. So, having that top priority for safety that really gives us the edge and that makes us stand out among the competition….we are also able to provide this level of service because we are a smaller, local company…while we have a ‘larger’ company presence…as we can source parts, whether it be from any domestic manufacturer or an international supplier of elevator components.”
For Alliance Elevator Ontario, and its rapid growth in the market, it has been about being innovative.
“The North American market has been stuck with traditional elevating equipment for the home application, like private residences. Typically, you’ll see just a wood cabinet box on a steel sling structure inside the shaft way in an elevator….built into a home. The products that we’re offering right now are a little bit more innovative…we are the first ones in North America to bring Villa Lift products onto the market from Italy. It’s full glass, full panoramic elevators that come in circular, octagonal and square configurations…and in glass or full polycarbonate option…with either automatic, sliding doors, or curved doors,” he noted. “Many other companies, we have seen, also tend to stick to their traditional stainless steel style push buttons…but, we’re able to do touch controls like all flush plate glass and touchless screens. So, the innovative capabilities that we are able to offer…to even a single home dwelling are available. And we’re able to give options for highly customized elevators for customers…at very competitive pricing while being very economical in consideration with what’s out there right now on the market.”
However, there have been a few particular projects that stick out in Pallo’s mind.
“We brought on the Villa Lift elevator product for private residence, and we just finished installing one in Brantford. It’s a custom high-end unit, and for this particular customer, they wanted to go with a very high-end finish as well, so they had their selection for the custom paint job of this elevator. The customer went with a great paint selection. It’s a medium briar brown. It’s got a little bit of metallic, so if you can picture just a light brown in older style Cadillac, a little bit of metallic flake in there which was very nice. They had only seen two Cadillacs painted in that color, so it was a custom color from General Motors, and we sourced it locally and had to paint here too, and it turned out very beautifully…so that’s a really a milestone for us in terms of bringing something more innovative to the market, because as far as I know…there’s only two competitors that are offering that. Also, there are three shape models that we offer, and there we’re the only ones offering this. So, it’s a really nice elevator. We’ve got some options that others don’t,” Pallo recounted. “Another project that sticks out would be from a few years ago when Brantford had a record year in issuing building permits. And I think the largest building permit that Brantford has ever issued was the newer Hershey’s facility. It’s a co-packaging facility in the newer industrial sector. We put the commercial elevator inside of this building, and that was one of the highlights too.”
Along with his dedication to his trade, the business owner also has made time to give back to the community.
“I love to give back when I can. I have organized a few different events in Brantford…I hosted one art show and a craft gathering a few years ago…and I was involved in the Brantford Art Walk along the Grand River as I was one of the artists in that function. What I like to do now is do a lot the marketing budgets to animal rescues…I’m a big contributor to these rescues, and I’m a big advocate of animal welfare…and I try to give back locally [and] I’ve been a foster for a couple of local animal rescues, volunteering for them. I also volunteer as a turtle taxi driver for the Ontario Turtle Conservation Center. There’s a lot of turtles in a lot of these places, sometimes along these roads, and I do what I can to get these injured turtles. They have a network of taxi drivers throughout Ontario here that help with this with the main center in Peterborough,” he said. “Alliance Elevator Ontario, also has been a sponsor of the Cambridge Memorial Hospital Foundation since around 2020. We are a big supporter of their annual Trees of Caring fundraiser, and also their hospital family program…[and] we help with that sort of thing to promote that program.”
Aside from being a successful business owner and dedicated community member, Pallo has also turned his experience in his trade into an artistic path.
“I have a little bit of background in dealing with different mediums, mainly wire sculpture. I’ve always worked with my hands….my career started in bench wiring copper…I’ve been twisting copper wire for a while…and then that grew into seeing wire being recycled and just turned into something else. I spent some time in the creative world…helping other artists sell their work, and commissioning their pieces. I spent some time in Tobermory, Ontario, and the north tip of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, Bruce Peninsula. Back when I was younger, I was working at a restaurant there…I learned a great deal about working with people which has helped me with my own business to this day,” he recalled. “After doing breakfast duties, I had the rest of the day to myself…I would float around the bay in my little boat…and create my wire sculptures along the way… a lot of people would just pass and inquired about getting some of my art. So, things kind of took off from there…some of my pieces were at a couple art galleries, and exhibits…and I have a few commissions which was a bit of a lifeline for me when I was up there.”
Going forward, Pallo is looking to try and give back more of his time to the Brantford community.
“I would like to see myself grow professionally and personally as well, always developing new relationships, and always trying to break out of my shell. I’ve been wearing a lot of hats for quite some time…so, am I developing another field crew which will make things a little bit easier for me…and hopefully give me some extra time to give back to others and the community in the coming years. Having this time…I would volunteer where I can…visiting, for example, retirement homes, and hopefully building new relationships with the elderly community there. There’s a lot of knowledge we can learn from them….and it’s very important to listen and be there with them,” Pallo said. “They have given their time to build our community…many of them…have served in the trades [and] and we can learn a great deal from them. So, interaction within the community and volunteering is something that I want to do more of…and other initiatives…like hosting events, or spending time at the hospital for a food drive, or just helping pick up injured animals as a first responder. This would be some great things I would like to do more of [and] be available for…always trying to give back where it counts.”
