Elevation Innovation

What Elevation Innovation does

Elevation Innovation Inc. (EII), founded in July 2005 by Scott Allen and Andrew Darnley III and headquartered in Diamond Springs, California, designs and manufactures residential and commercial dumbwaiter systems. The company's product portfolio comprises two principal lines: Inteli-Lift, a commercial system available in five weight classes from 75 to 500 pounds serving up to nine floors and targeted at commercial kitchens, healthcare, government, hospitality, and high-end residential applications; and Econo-Lift, a residential system in 100 and 150-pound capacities serving up to four floors and targeted at homeowners, condominiums, and townhouses. A specialized Inteli-Lift RST variant is built for restaurant environments. Underlying systems share a common technical architecture: in-house 5th-generation FPGA (Efinix Trion) and CPLD solid-state relay logic controllers engineered for 20+ year lifecycles, German-engineered Bauer three-phase gear motors rated for 60,000+ trips per year, custom 6061-T6 aluminum guide rails with built-in electrical chase ways, and proprietary CDI/RDI safety door interlocks co-developed with Honeywell International. Elevation Innovation is the only fully ETL (Intertek) certified dumbwaiter manufacturer in the world, certified to ASME A17.1, ASME A17.5, CSA B44, and CSA B44.1-19 elevator codes, with the manufacturing facility receiving four surprise inspections annually.

The company's business model is hardware-centric direct manufacturing with multi-channel distribution. Revenue is generated primarily from one-time hardware sales of dumbwaiter systems priced from $3,600–$6,500 for residential equipment only to $20,000–$100,000+ for commercial turnkey systems including installation, permitting, and inspection. Distribution runs through an authorized dealer network of 250+ partners across the US and 25+ countries, supplemented by an exclusive sole-supplier partnership with Savaria (a publicly traded Canadian accessibility company) covering the US, Canada, and Australia, and direct website-based quoting and ordering for residential and small commercial buyers. The company is privately held, bootstrapped, and founder-owned with no external institutional investment, and operates with a workforce of 11–50 employees serving named enterprise customers across restaurants (Alexander's Steakhouse, Deschutes Brewery, Nitehawk Cinemas, Hard Rock Café), healthcare (Cancer Institute of Florida, Boston Heart), government and diplomatic facilities (Chinese Embassy, Japanese Consulate, Canadian Consulate, Dauphin County Courthouse), hospitality (Mimosa Hotel, NHL Hall of Fame), and education (James Madison University).

Name

Elevation Innovation

Legal name

Elevation Innovation Inc.

Website

https://eilifts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Elevation Innovation designs and manufactures ETL-certified residential and commercial dumbwaiter systems (Inteli-Lift and Econo-Lift lines), selling through a 250+ dealer network and an exclusive Savaria partnership to restaurants, healthcare, government, and high-end residential customers across 25+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Material Handling Equipment / Dumbwaiters

NAICS

Elevator and Moving Stairway Manufacturing (333921)

SIC

Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530)

akta.pro primary industry

Dumbwaiter & Material Lift Service & Maintenance (BPABAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Elevator Modernization & Retrofit (Controllers, Drives, Door Systems) (BPABAIAE)

Keywords

• Residential dumbwaiters
• Commercial dumbwaiters
• Restaurant dumbwaiters
• Vertical material lifts
• ETL certified dumbwaiters

Headquarters

HQ city

Diamond Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Dumbwaiter Product Sales: Primary revenue stream from manufacturing and selling residential (Econo-Lift) and commercial (Inteli-Lift) dumbwaiter systems. Products range from $3,600-$6,500 for residential equipment only, to $20,000-$100,000+ for commercial systems including installation. One-time hardware sales with optional extended warranty services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Elevation Innovation designs, manufactures, and sells residential and commercial dumbwaiter systems under two primary product lines: Econo-Lift (residential, 100-150 lb, up to 4 floors) and Inteli-Lift (commercial, 75-500 lb, up to 9 floors), including a specialized RST restaurant variant. Products are fully ETL certified to ASME A17.1 and CSA B44 elevator codes and are distributed through a 250+ dealer network and a strategic partnership with Savaria.

Product overview

Elevation Innovation manufactures residential and commercial dumbwaiter systems, the only fully ETL certified dumbwaiters in the world. The product portfolio consists of two main product lines: the Inteli-Lift commercial dumbwaiter system (available in 75lb, 125lb, 250lb, 300lb, and 500lb capacities) designed for commercial and high-end residential use with up to nine floors of service; and the Econo-Lift residential dumbwaiter system (100lb and 150lb capacities) designed for homes, condominiums, and townhomes with up to four floors of service. A specialized Restaurant (RST) variant of the Inteli-Lift is designed specifically for the food service industry. The systems share common components including in-house CPLD and FPGA electronic controllers, Bauer gear motors from Germany, and Honeywell-developed door interlocks (CDI for commercial, RDI for residential).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Econo-Lift®: Residential dumbwaiter system available in 100lb and 150lb weight capacities, serving up to four floors. Uses commercial-grade components including Bauer three-phase gear motors from Germany and CPLD electronics. Registered trademark of Elevation Innovation Inc.
• Inteli-Lift

Products and services

• Econo-Lift Residential Dumbwaiter Residential dumbwaiter system available in 100 lb and 150 lb weight capacities for homes, condominiums, and townhomes, with unlimited custom sizes servicing up to four floors. Uses the same trolley and track system as commercial dumbwaiters and is designed to run for 25+ years with a 5-year warranty.
• Inteli-Lift Commercial Dumbwaiter Commercial dumbwaiter system for commercial use and high-end residential applications, available in five weight classes from 75 to 500 pounds. Can service up to nine floors and uses in-house custom-built CPLD/FPGA electronic controllers with Bauer gear motors (made in Germany) designed to deliver 60,000+ trips per year.
• Inteli-Lift RST (Restaurant) Dumbwaiter Specialized commercial restaurant dumbwaiter system based on the Inteli-Lift platform, designed specifically for the food and restaurant industry. Available with waterproof/steam-proof controller enclosures, bi-parting or slide-up fire-rated stainless steel doors, and 'Car Here' LED indicators for restaurant staff.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60,000+ trips per year rated motor capacity
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Intertek ETLcoreOthers · 1 January 2022Global Total Quality Assurance provider with 43,800+ employees in 1,000+ locations in over 100 countries. Certifies EII dumbwaiter systems to meet ASME A17.1, ASME A17.5, CSA B44 elevator codes. File #5020834.
• SavariacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2021Savaria, a publicly traded Canadian accessibility company with strong presence in North America and Australia, chose Elevation Innovation Inc. as their sole dumbwaiter supplier for all commercial and residential dumbwaiter systems. This includes all their satellite direct offices across the United States, Canada, Australia, and worldwide.
• NAEC (National Association of Elevator Contractors)minorOthersIndustry association providing elevator, dumbwaiter, and lift training and information. Members rely on NAEC for business development and customer relationship resources. EII was featured in March 2020 NAEC Mainline Newsletter member spotlight.
• Honeywell International Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationEII worked closely with Honeywell to develop elevator/dumbwaiter safety door interlocks. The CDI Commercial door interlock and RDI residential door interlock were developed and designed over a two-year period with Honeywell engineers. These code-compliant interlocks are now the most popular and widely used in the industry.
• TSSA (Technical Standards and Safety Authority)minorOthersOntario, Canada regulatory body promoting and enforcing public safety for dumbwaiters. EII worked closely with TSSA to achieve fully code-compliant dumbwaiter electronic controllers meeting Canadian code requirements.
• Technical Safety BCminorOthersIndependent, self-funded organization overseeing safe installation of dumbwaiters in British Columbia, Canada. EII collaborated to achieve redundant fully code-compliant dumbwaiter electronic controllers.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Acorn Stairlifts: Global leader in stairlifts and residential accessibility lifts. Competes for the same aging-in-place residential customer wallet, with overlapping demand drivers though different product form factors.
• Savaria Corporation: Publicly traded Canadian accessibility company that is also EII's largest distribution partner. Manufactures stairlifts, residential elevators, and wheelchair lifts, making it both a customer and adjacent competitor in the broader accessibility market.
• Waupaca Elevator Company: Manufactures dumbwaiters, residential elevators, stairlifts, and accessibility lifts. Direct competitor serving the same residential and light-commercial dumbwaiter market via a similar dealer channel model.
• Inclinator Company of America: Manufactures residential elevators, dumbwaiters, stair lifts, and wheelchair lifts. Closest direct competitor in the residential vertical lift market, offering overlapping product categories with similar dealer-based distribution.
• Stannah Lifts: Global manufacturer of stairlifts, homelifts, platform lifts, and dumbwaiters. Competes in the residential accessibility and small-commercial vertical lift segments with broader product breadth and international reach.
• Pflow Industries: Manufactures vertical reciprocating conveyors and material lifts for industrial and commercial material handling. Serves similar commercial inter-floor transport use cases with custom-engineered lift solutions.
• Bruno Independent Living Aids: Manufacturer of mobility and accessibility products including stairlifts, vehicle lifts, and platform lifts. Competes in the residential accessibility market with a strong dealer network serving aging-in-place customers.

Broad incumbents

• Schindler Group: Global elevator and escalator manufacturer with strong commercial and service portfolio. Broad incumbent with capital and engineering depth to enter the certified dumbwaiter category.
• Otis Worldwide: World's largest elevator and escalator manufacturer with global service network. A broad incumbent whose resources could allow entry into certified dumbwaiter products if it chose to pursue that niche.

Others

• Meiller Aufzugtüren: Manufacturer of elevator door systems and interlocks used in elevator and dumbwaiter installations. Comparable as a component supplier to the elevator/dumbwaiter industry and adjacent to EII's Honeywell-developed door interlock technology.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/eilifts
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/elevationinnovation
• Facebookfacebook.com/ElevationInnovationInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/elevation-innovation-inc.

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Elevation Innovation