Some say a good elevator mechanic is not seen.
But people see David Youhas, an elevator mechanic for Facilities and Services, because he is constantly cleaning, maintaining and observing campus elevators to make sure they don’t go out of service.
He said he first got into the elevator trade in 1991, and he has been at the U. of I. for three years. He oversees around 80 elevators on campus. The elevator shop consists of five mechanics, a supervisor and a repairman.
Youhas said there is always something to maintain in an elevator – from checking oil to cleaning. He said mechanics want to be busy doing service so they’re not busy doing repairs later. If belts and other pieces are not maintained constantly, he said, mechanics undoubtedly will be chasing problems later, which is not ideal because some buildings only have one elevator.
At the U. of I., each mechanic has his own route. Ideally, the mechanics see every elevator in their route once a month, but sometimes with repairs and other events, that’s not able to happen.
He said most elevator calls are door-related, as doors are the most used part of an elevator. The mechanics use their senses to determine if something is wrong by listening to the machine and smelling to see if something is rubbing.
“Our senses are usually a great predictor,” he said.
Youhas said the shop is composed of a unique, small group of employees who are very close to one another. When someone is busy doing a repair, the other mechanics are available to make sure the calls are being answered. Facilities and Services has a call center, which dispatches calls to the mechanics. Youhas said if someone is unavailable or not reachable (cell service can be bad when you’re in the basement of a building), the center will send another mechanic or contact the elevator shop.
“We do things that are very dangerous. We work with electricity. We work with heights. We work with stored mechanical energy,” Youhas said. “We’re always looking out for each other. We all want to go home at the end of the day.”
Youhas said he enjoys the unpredictability and variety that comes with the job.
“It’s always a surprise. You never know what you’re going to walk into in the morning. You could walk into three elevators that are down, and what seemed like a peaceful day turns into a challenging day.”
He said he enjoys going to the different buildings while meeting people who are excited to see him, as opposed to sitting at a desk for eight hours a day.
He said at times the job can be stressful, as they work very hard to get the job done in a timely fashion. It also can be frustrating when the mechanics are up against a deadline and someone needs access to an elevator. People don’t normally get angry, though, because they understand mechanical pieces sometimes fail.
While the work has its ups and downs, Youhas enjoys his job at the U. of I. He remembers visiting every elevator on campus when he first came here. He said it’s nice to be around people who are easily available to help and who can be there in five minutes.
“It’s definitely worth it. I love working here,” he said.
Youhas is very proud of his four children.
Kimberlyn, 22, is pursuing teaching and kinesiology at Eastern Illinois University and played on the university’s women’s rugby team. Andrew, 22, also is a student at EIU and wants to teach history. Shelby, 19, is pursuing musical engineering at Danville Area Community College and will transfer to Columbia College Chicago. Haley, 18, a senior in high school, wants to be a teacher.
Youhas also keeps busy with classes at Parkland College through EIU. He is taking two courses and working toward receiving a B.A. in organizational and professional development.
He also has been a mentor for three years for the Champaign-Urbana One-to-One Mentoring Program. Several years ago, he pursued life coaching after losing more than 100 pounds by eating less and exercising more. People were drawn to him, wanting to know how he achieved such success.
He plans to use his education to give back to people. After retiring, he wants to continue working to help people. He said he doesn’t see himself becoming a counselor, but he hopes to contribute through nonprofit organizations.
Editor’s note: Youhas encourages others to consider becoming a mentor with the Champaign-Urbana One-to-One Mentoring Program. For more information, contact Lauren Smith, Unit 4 community outreach coordinator, at 217-351-3722 or smithla@champaignschools.org.