Fensom's elevating devices were used in early department stores as well as the emerging commerce district. Timothy Eaton, of The T. Eaton Company Limited, was Canada’s largest retailer and a loyal customer of Fensom’s work. The innovative new machines added a thrilling new feature to retail shopping.

In 1902, Otis Canada started a small factory in Hamilton, Ontario as part of their expansion in Canada’s vertical transportation industry. Three years later, it would merge with the sizeable Fensom Elevator Works to become the Otis-Fensom Elevator Company. The new company immediately embarked on years of expansion and development. Properties were acquired and built in various principal cities, principally Hamilton, ON.