You may be very
surprised to know that Invacare Scooters dates back to 1885 when the founding
company, Worthington Company, produced a line of vehicles for people with
physical impairments. Over time,
Worthington Company dissolved and was purchased by Technicare. Invacare Scooters’ true birth, however, was
in the 1970’s when Johnson & Johnson purchased Technicare and opted to
focus their attention on diagnostic machinery.
This lead to the formation of a portion of Technicare dedicated to
wheelchairs and motorized vehicles for handicapped people. That division, Invacare, was placed on the
market for a whopping $7.8 million.
Meanwhile,
Technicare’s vice president of marketing, Mal Mixon, wanted to purchase the wheelchair
product line. Mixon realized the
potential Invacare offered, but the $7.8 million price tag was far beyond his
$10,000 capital. High-risk loans helped
him make up some of the difference, while loans from associates covered the
balance. Eventually, Mixon was able to
purchase all rights to Invacare.
In December
1978, Mixon and his business associates launched Invacare Scooters as their
individual business. Free of all ties to
a larger corporation, Invacare now had to prove itself. At first, things looked bleak. Mixon and his associates owed millions of
dollars, and sales with Invacare in its first year only netted $100,000 on $19
million worth of sales. Instead of quitting,
Mixon and his associates challenged themselves to increase profits by targeting
new markets.
In 1980, home
care beds helped the company to skyrocket to $1.4 million in profits. Finally, Mixon and his associates saw a light
at the end of the tunnel. The company
continued to expand. If they could tap
into the perfect market, they knew they could pay off their creditors while
tapping into the needs of many disabled and elderly people.
In 1990, the
first line of motorized scooters came out.
Invacare suddenly discovered that those with limited mobility regained
confidence after purchasing an Invacare scooter. By 2006, profits were a staggering $2
billion. Today, the company remodels
their Invacare scooters regularly to ensure they are safe, efficient, and
affordable. Furthermore, Invacare
scooters are the future for elderly patients needing a lift without losing
their independence. This is, in part,
because Invacare scooters are easy to operate and the climb on and off the
scooters is a cinch.
With so much
promise in store for Invacare and their line of motorized wheelchairs, home
care beds, scooters and more, there is no doubt that a company that has been
around for decades will continue to grow and prosper.
