ACCESS OPPORTUNITY

Feelgood franchise offers opportunity to help folks while making money. It’s an American Dream enterprise.

ORDINARY COMPONENTS,
EXTRAORDINARY SITUATIONS

While most of the ramps installed by American Ramp Systems meet the fairly standard need of residential and commercial buildings, the company has been faced with some challenging situations.

The U.S. Navy needed a ramp last summer for a weekend reunion aboard the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy. Disabled sailors had previously been unable to attend such reunions because the lowest door on the ship is about 17 feet in the air and is usually accessible only by stairs or a ladder. American Ramp Systems built a 244-foot ramp with a hinged gangplank that would rise and fall 9 feet with the tide. The ramp allowed access to the ship for wheelchair-bound veterans, as well as others with mobility problems.

Quadriplegic actor Christopher Reeve has rented ramps as often as three times in one month from American Ramp Systems as he travels about the country on speaking engagements. The company also provided a ramp for the traveling Vietnam War Memorial, and routinely provides ramps for graduation ceremonies at universities and other schools so that wheelchair-bound students can receive their diplomas with their classmates.

And the ramps aren’t just for people. American Ramp Systems has installed at least a half-dozen ramps for family pets-typically, a geriatric dog that can no longer manage stairs.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
AMERICAN RAMP SYSTEMS

To receive more information on the franchise opportunity, contact American Ramp Systems at their Boston, Massachusetts, headquarters:
202 West First Street
Boston, MA 02127-1110
Contact: Julian Gordon
Phone: 800-649-5215
Webiste: www.americanramp.com

It’s the classic entrepreneurial dream: a profitable, prestigious business with limited competition that allows you to help people while working “normal” (that is, a standard business day Monday through Friday) hours. You won’t find it in restaurants, retailing, or most service industries. But it’s now available through Boston-based American Ramp Systems, a manufacturer of low priced metal ramps for disability access to residential and commercial buildings.

“Our franchise is a career opportunity that you can feel good about,” says Julian Gordon, the company’s president, founder and chief engineer. “When we ask franchisees what they like most about what we do, they say it’s a dignified career that they can feel good about, and they don’t have to work nights and weekends.”

Certainly, a large and growing market is also attractive to franchisees.

According to The Wall Street Journal, more than 16 million Americans are non-ambulatory. The Boston Globe reports that 1 out of every 200 people in the United States uses a wheelchair. Ramps help these individuals live at home but still maintain access to the outside world.
American Ramp Systems’ market includes four key segments:

Healthcare. Large and growing, the healthcare industry is a strong consumer of medical equipment products such as ramps. As hospital stays become shorter and the number of outpatient surgical procedures increases, patients with short- and long-term mobility problems need ramps to allow access from their homes to healthcare facilities. “We offer the lowest cost ramp system available, and today healthcare is all about low cost,” says Gordon. “We’ve got an inherent advantage in our design.”
Seniors. As people age, they often develop infirmities that require the use of a wheelchair. At the same time, more and more senior citizens are electing to stay in their own homes rather than moving to a nursing or long-term care facility. “People want to remain in their homes rather than go to a nursing home, and in order to do that, many of them install ramps to make getting around easier,” says Gordon. In addition, a variety of new products are being developed to accommodate the changing physical needs of this population segment. Those products include the ramps designed by American Ramp Systems, along with lifts, scooters, and a range of special bathroom and kitchen devices.
Children with disabilities. Ad-vancing technology is allowing more and more children to survive birth defects, serious illnesses, and crippling accidents. Even so, many of these youngsters will be in a wheelchair for the rest of their lives. Ramps allow them to remain comfortably at home with their families and enjoy a level of mobility they did not previously have. Gordon notes that just a few decades ago, a significant percentage of these youngsters died; today, with some mechanical assistance, they are able to lead rewarding lives.
Rental opportunities. The need for temporary ramps is strong and will increase with public awareness of their availability. Common scenarios include: when a wheelchair-bound relative comes for a visit of a few days or weeks; for special events such as weddings, graduations, and reunions, when ramps allow full participation of all attendees; and for short-term disability situations, such as a broken leg.

American Ramp Systems pre-qualifies every customer before passing the information along to the franchisee.

Customers without sufficient financial resources are given referrals to possible funding sources.

“This is a very straightforward, logical business. If you are willing to put forth the effort, you can enjoy tremendous success with our organization,” says Gordon.

“In the late 1990s, people started asking us if we could build ramps,” Gordon recalls. “We thought we would sell the ramps primarily to our existing construction market, but when we advertised, we got calls from individuals who needed ramps on a short-term basis. At first, we just said we couldn’t help them. But they kept calling. They needed safe, affordable ramps that could be quickly installed. Finally, we did some research, determined that the market was viable, and developed our patented ramp system.”

American Ramp Systems ramps are modular. The sturdy components have handles and can be installed and then disassembled quickly and easily. They are considered durable medical equipment (DME) in the same category as beds and wheelchairs, which means the purchase and installation cost may be covered by insurance.
Because the ramps do not require any modification of the building structure to be installed, it is not necessary to obtain permits for them, and they can be easily removed without damaging the building when they are no longer needed. American Ramp Systems will buy back used ramps, or the ramps can be donated to a charitable organization for a tax deduction.

In most communities, the addition of a concrete or wooden ramp is considered a permanent modification and requires a building permit. Often that permitting process will trigger a reassessment of the property for tax purposes, which could mean a higher tax bill. When the ramp is no longer needed, the same process may need to be followed for removal. If left in place at a residence, a ramp could devalue the home for resale purposes.

Gordon has found that a growing segment of the market for ramps is the occasional user. It may be an individual with a wheelchair-bound relative who visits periodically, or perhaps a church that only needs to have the ramp in place on certain days or during certain hours. A portable ramp system allows for quick and easy installation when the ramp is needed, plus disassembly and storage for when the ramp is not necessary.

“Rarely do single family homes need a ramp forever,” Gordon says. “In many cases, the disability is temporary. In other situations, the patient is elderly or seriously ill, and eventually passes away.

“Whether the surviving family members stay in the house or the house is sold, it’s unlikely that the new owner will want a ramp. In fact, 96 percent of people who buy homes don’t want a ramp on the house. But removing a permanently installed ramp can be a major project. You have to dig up the foundation, break up the concrete, and dispose of the materials.”
Regardless of the type of ramp (metal, concrete, or wood), it needs to be properly designed. “A good handyman may know how to pour concrete and build a wooden rail, but that doesn’t mean he knows how to construct a ramp,” says Gordon.

“For example, the shorter you make the ramp, the steeper the angle will be and the more difficult it is to use. If you haven’t considered the user-a frail elderly person, someone who is extremely heavy, or a small child-people could hurt themselves trying to use the ramp.”

Gordon has tackled the ramp industry with a missionary zeal, determined to make safe, affordable metal ramps available to as many people who need them as possible.

To accomplish that goal, he has created a franchise system that will allow people who want to be in their own business to make these ramps available to people outside the Boston area. As the company’s franchise network grows, he is also working on developing additional products to increase mobility and enhance the quality of life for wheelchair-bound individuals around the world.

Why Metal Ramps?

When faced with the need for a ramp, you have three basic construction options: wood, concrete, or metal.
Issues to consider with a wood or concrete, or wood and concrete combination, ramp include:

• You need to find a handyman or contractor who knows how to design and construct the ramp so that it will be safe, secure, and appropriate for its intended use.
n most communities, you will need to pull a building permit and be sure the ramp meets all local code requirements. The permitting process may also trigger a reassessment of your property’s valuation.
Construction of a wood or concrete ramp may take days or even weeks to complete. An unreliable contractor may simply not finish the job. When it is finished, it is a permanent modification, and removal will require a process very similar to the installation.
Wood can rot or become infested with pests such as termites. Wood can also warp and splinter.
Most pressure-treated wood contains arsenic. Studies suggest chemicals leaching into the soil from this type of wood have raised the risk of bladder, lung, and other cancers. It’s important to note that the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency has reached an agreement with manufacturers to stop the production of pressure-treated lumber over the next two to three years. Even though the wood may be available, it’s risky to use it.
Wood is slippery when wet. Rain, sleet, snow, and ice make wood and concrete ramps very dangerous.
A permanent wood or concrete ramp reduces the resale value of a home.
Because wood or concrete ramps are considered home modifications, the cost to build them is never reimbursed by insurance.

In contrast, consider these facts about metal ramps:
Metal ramps are not permanent home modifications and do not require building permits for installation.
A metal ramp that is not a permanent building fixture can be easily removed and sold (or donated) when it is no longer needed.
Steel ramps are stronger than wood, can support more weight, and are not subject to rot or pest infestation.
• Metal ramps with an open mesh surface and a gripping edge allow moisture to pass through, rather than forming puddles, making the structure safe to use in all conditions.
Metal ramps can be installed on any surface at any time of the year-whether in the winter up north when the ground is frozen or in Florida where soft, sandy ground cannot support a heavy structure without proper foundations.
If daily use of a ramp is not required, a properly designed metal ramp can be set up when needed and placed in storage when not in use.
Many insurance policies cover all or part of the cost of durable medical equipment (DME). Metal ramps are considered DME, and their cost may be reimbursed by insurance.

Growth for American Ramp Systems has been steady and substantial. Sales for 2000 increased 30 percent over 1999. 2001 showed a 50 percent increase, and 2002 is expected to repeat that performance.

Franchises are currently being offered in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky and other surrounding states. Systematic expansion will continue until the entire country is served. Plans are also in place to open international locations. The company expects to have 100 active franchises within five years.

In addition to expanding its franchise network, American Ramp Systems will develop new products targeted to the same market segments, allowing deeper market penetration and multiple sales to the same customer base.

Start-up costs range from $47,000 to $133,200 for inventory, equipment, vehicle, marketing, and working capital. This figure also includes the initial franchise fee of $22,500-$27,500.

Marketing is handled through the American Ramp Systems’ customer pre-qualification program and national toll-free call center.

Typical initial staffing for a home-based American Ramp Systems franchise is the franchisee (who handles sales, marketing, and management) and a two-person installation crew.

Franchisees must have the ability to interact comfortably with children and adults who have a variety of disabilities. They need to be caring and empathic, while still maintaining a sufficiently professional demeanor.

(back to top)