News Story

03.24.2025

TK Elevator unveils custom glass elevator at the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas

"I take pride in every elevator I build. I take extreme pride in this one because of who we’ll have riding it – there’s going to be veterans in here,” says Mike Holcomb, Mechanic In Charge for TK Elevator. “This is going to be a field trip location. My children will be riding this elevator.”

Holcomb and his apprentice, Alex Trasante are the TK Elevator mechanics who constructed the elevator for the newly opened National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas.

It will be a place to preserve and honor the stories and legacies of those who have received the Medal of Honor—the United States' highest military award for valor. This prestigious recognition is given to service members who performed extraordinary acts of bravery and selflessness in combat, often risking their own lives.

The museum will not only be a space of reflection and remembrance for military veterans and their families—it will also be steeped in educational history through immersive exhibits and historical artifacts.

The building's exhibition space hovers 40 feet above the ground, allowing 360-degree visibility of its custom glass elevator, designed and constructed by TK Elevator.

“This is the most unique elevator I’ve ever worked on in my 26 years of doing this job,” says Holcomb.

According to Linbeck Group, which oversaw the entire build of the museum, TK Elevator has been the elevator partner on the project since Linbeck was awarded the contract in 2021.

“We’ve had about 50 subcontractors on the job with over 3000 workers onsite,” says Becky Burleson, Vice President and Client Executive for Linbeck Group. “TKE did not just build the elevator – they engineered and designed it.”

Burleson says museum projects are always challenging but says it’s been a strong partnership working with TKE. “Good support, good design, good documentation early on that allows us to coordinate the rest of the building.”

The prestigious project, meaningful to all who worked on it, was especially a milestone for Trasante who is currently doing his apprenticeship and learning from Holcomb.

“You know, I got very lucky in helping Mike,” says Trasante. “He's like the elevator guru. So learning from him, it just gives me a big one up in trying to advance through the industry.”

Trasante also says starting his career in the elevator industry with TK Elevator has been hugely positive.

“TKE really takes care of us and that's what I can appreciate about the company. They take care of the people that are making it happen.”

The project’s legacy is one that TK Elevator leaders say is significant to the company as well.

“So many of our employees served in the military including some of my leaders. We have employees whose parents or children served or are serving so there's a big, family connection here,” says TK Elevator General Manager Lance Wilson. “The museum is going to be such a focal point and a sense of pride. They're going to tell their friends; their kids and they're going to come out here and bring their family.”