James F. Comley is an author, entrepreneur, and one of the most respected figures in the American elevator industry. Over a career spanning more than seven decades, he rose from field technician to company founder and public servant.
In 1972 he and his late wife Virginia, along with a business partner, took over Embree Elevator and built it into a lasting family business serving Eastern Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire. Today it is run by three generations of his family from its office in Woburn, Massachusetts.
Comley served more than twenty years on the Massachusetts Board of Elevator Regulations, including four years as chairman, and helped establish an Elevator Museum to preserve the trade’s early history.
He is a U.S. Navy veteran, a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and is listed in Marquis Who’s Who. At 95, James F. Comley is the author of The Ups and Downs of Running a Small Business, written with Jason R. Rich, and he continues to champion mentorship, public service, and historic preservation.
