Pride Forms Lift Division, Names Curtis National Sales Manager

EXETER, Pa.–Pride Mobility Products has brought on Douglas
Curtis as national sales manager of the company’s newly formed
vehicle lift division. Following its acquisition of Medford,
Ore.-based Silver Star Mobility, a 16-year-old manufacturer of
scooter and power chair lifts, the company will operate as the
Silver Star Lift Division of Pride.

Pride, which has been working on the acquisition for the past
four months, expects to close the deal Sept. 1. Lift manufacturing
will remain in Medford, where current Silver Star owner Dennis
Mortimore will join Pride as vice president of vehicle lifts. Plans
are being developed for a second shift to be added to the current
plant schedule.

“We think the lift market is going to grow,” said Dan Meuser,
president of Pride USA. “The fact is that if you look at the size
of the scooter market and you look at the size of the power chair
market … the lift market is unnaturally low in comparison. We
think the market should be double its present size. There are about
30,000 to 35,000 vehicle lifts sold annually, and we think it
should be 70,000.”

He added that the ability to pair a POV with a lift “in a
turnkey package offers the comprehensive mobility solution that
people are looking for.”

According to Curtis, most recently a senior manager for Bruno
Independent Living Aids, “The awareness of the lift category has
not been high at the provider level because there has been so much
growth in the [mobility equipment] categories themselves. But now
as things start to look different with reimbursement, providers
must look at retail sales.

“We think that providers who are willing to embrace the category
have a good opportunity to grow cash sales, because it’s a natural
extension of something they already do in selling power mobility
devices.”

Along with the Medicare population, Curtis noted another “clear
target is seniors who are not medical customers but who want to
maintain their active lifestyles.”

Pride has been working on integration of the brand through
product upgrades, packaging changes, testing procedures and quality
standards. The company also is developing a training and
certification program to educate dealers on how to install and
service the lifts so providers are “comfortable” adding the
category, Curtis said.