NSM launches home accessibility biz

Editor's note: Last week, we ran a story about former Numotion exec Paul Bergantino getting into this market. This week, it's National Seating & Mobility. Check back in next week for a look at what it means when complex rehab's biggest names get into a market full force.

POMFRET CENTER, Conn. - National Seating & Mobility is now among the players looking to get a piece of the home accessibility pie.

In October it launched AccessNSM, which offers stair lifts, wheelchair lifts, ramps, door openers and barrier-free showers through seven locations stretching from Massachusetts to North Carolina.

“When NSM acquired HudsonSeating & Mobility (in 2014),Hudson was in the accessibility products and services business,” said Mark McLean, communications director at NSM. “NSM had also acquired two other businesses in that same business. So the general idea was to take those businesses—which were successful on their own—and present them as a single brand.”

AccessNSM has used Hudson's as the foundation for that brand and has added some updates and modifications, including the ability to shop from home.

“Potential end-users who need assistance going upstairs or downstairs in their homes may not be too mobile, and so they can look at what products are available online and compare them without getting in their car or needing someone to drive them (to a store),” said McLean.

Although the home accessibility market is booming, Jack Hogan, manager of home accessibility at AccessNSM, says it's not a segment providers should take on lightly.

“Most states have licensing requirements, and if you don't have a license you have to do an apprenticeship program and that can last up to four years,” said Hogan, who worked at Hudson Accessibility Solutions for more than a decade before NSM purchased the company. “I think people see this business as a golden goose, but we've been at it for decades.”