George Strakosch has been an ELEVATOR WORLD consultant and member of its board of directors. He operated a private consulting practice in the early 1990s. Strakosch entered the elevator industry as a construction helper in 1946 at Otis, advancing to mechanic and then adjuster. In 1953, he entered the Otis Management Training Program and advanced from sales representative to sales engineering assistant. Appointed chief application engineer in 1960, Strakosch worked on the World Trade Center project in New York City. In 1967, he was appointed manager of special installations and oversaw elevator installations at the Kennedy Space Center for the Apollo program. He became a senior project manager in 1972 at Otis and joined Jaros Baum and Bolles Consulting Engineers (JB&B) in 1977. After retiring from JB&B in 1987, Strakosch joined EW as director of education. Having served on numerous American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) committees, Strakosch became a recipient of ASME's Safety Codes and Standards Medal in 1998. He has also been honored by the NAESA International, the Chicago Elevator Association and the National Association of Elevator Contractors, having received the William C. Sturgeon Distinguished Service Award from the latter in 1997.
