The University of Kentucky is the Bluegrass region’s flagship research and public land-grant university, preparing students for life and career in an increasingly diverse and technological world. A wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs offer an unmatched education in the historic environment of downtown Lexington.

The Client

The University of Kentucky was founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky. It is the largest university in the state, with a broad range of resources centered on a single campus in the heart of the Bluegrass.

Over 30,000 students have enrolled in recent years, and UK’s programs let them excel in multidisciplinary studies, fostering an environment of cooperative engagement across all colleges, programs, and research endeavors.

The university remains anchored in its mission to Kentucky– to educate, innovate, heal, and serve. With a sense of responsibility to communities on campus and across the region.

The Challenge

To participate in over 200 academic programs, faculty, students, and staff rely on elevators and lifts in all multi-story buildings across the campus, on-call, and around the clock.

This level of access and performance demands planned routine maintenance. Across different brands and various types of elevators, servicing all moving elements is crucial. Their drives and parts are subject to wear and deterioration over time.

To facilitate the maintenance, inspections, trouble calls, and repair, the University of Kentucky needed a local and reliable elevator company that schedules, coordinates, and acts responsible, timely, and at competitive rates.

The Solution

When the founders envisioned their company, they wanted to provide prompt and personalized service to each of the clients. Following through with this philosophy, DC Elevator today provides UK with skilled and experienced technicians to maintain over 150 elevators and lifts.

As the campus footprint grew, we established and since maintained a corporate infrastructure on location. Our on-site staff is only part of the key to satisfaction for a customer the scale of the University of Kentucky.

Our headquarters, less than five miles from campus, enables us to deliver excellent service at unmatched response times. With team spirit, grit, and practice, nobody beats the home team – just like the Kentucky Wildcats!

The University of Kentucky – Excellence in Education

The color Royal Blue is omnipresent in downtown Lexington due to the central location of the campus, and the university’s signature logo – which stands synonymous for superior NCAA basketball athletics – is ever-present. UK’s student-athletes also know to perform academically: In 2019, they set a new school record with a graduation success rate of 91%. Go Wildcats!

The 52-acre downtown campus is a sight to behold – spanning from South Broadway to East High Street and from the Avenue of the Champions to Kroger Field. Numerous buildings line the streets of the campus – from the multi-story administration complex to the various historic college halls, and the massive Patterson Office Tower. Not to mention the multi-story dormitories, housing about 6,600 first-year students and sophomores.

Around the Clock on Any Level – Technology at Work

DC Elevator has been in charge of the UK’s vertical transportation since the 1980s. Our primary responsibility is passenger safety and keeping elevators and lifts in dormitories, lecture halls, libraries, the auditorium, and Kroger Field performing year-round to specifications and with minimal downtime. At a glance, this might seem like a menial task. Still, closer inspection reveals an organizational system that includes time and resource management, logistics, prioritization, relationship management, and an intricate weave of plans, processes, rules, and regulations.

Our skilled and certified technicians know the installations on the UK campus well and keep close track of the status and wear of the equipment. Their individual experience, paired with the experience the company has gathered in 40 years, warrants efficiency and effectiveness. They take precautions to maximize the useful life and reliability of the equipment they maintain. The unique advantage created in the process is of direct value to the University of Kentucky as our customer and other customers of similar needs and scale as an added benefit.

Working on Campus – Safety First

In all aspects of our work, safety always is a primary concern. The ride safety of passengers on campus as they use an elevator or lift, the workplace safety of our technicians as they work on-site around the university, and the protection of authorized school personnel and emergency responders as they access sites and devices.

As a member of the NAEC, AEMA, AGC, HBA, and ABC, we keep our knowledge of ADA guidelines and ASME standards up-to-date, focusing on the detailed regulations of the State of Kentucky and in the other regions we serve. Our understanding of code standards and requirements ensures that all equipment is compliant and ready for inspection.

Great Service at Any Scale

According to school policy, the University of Kentucky chooses not to endorse service providers, vendors, and contractors. Still, we are happy to tell you more about how we serve customers of a similar scale in the commercial and educational realm and what these say about working with DC Elevator.

Please contact us to schedule a visit or site evaluation, or to learn more about all aspects of vertical transportation maintenance.

160 Avenue of Champions,      Lexington, KY 40508

(859) 257-3829

uky.edu