NSM puts down roots in Canada

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - It will be a new market with a number of complexities, but National Seating & Mobility plans to hit the ground running in Canada with its recent acquisition of SelfCare Home Health Products.

A big reason for that: Darryl and Kim Mackie, who have owned and operated the Vancouver, British Columbia-based company since its inception in 1993, will stay on in a leadership capacity.

“They've been around for a long time, and they care about their mission and their employees, and they share our values,” said Bill Mixon, CEO of NSM. “They plan to stay on for a material amount of time; we view this as a partnership.”

SelfCare is a mobility equipment and home accessibility services provider serving the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. It has four locations, with a fifth planned this year, and it employs 60.

It's NSM's first foray in another country, so a partnership with the Mackies will help the company navigate the differences between the U.S. and Canadian markets. There's a perception that the Canadian market is simpler, with fewer payers, but that's not exactly the case, with each of the country's 10 provinces having unique cultures and administrations, Mixon says.

“NSM will rely on the experience that SelfCare brings to that market,” he said.

That's also why the acquisition, while it allows NSM to put down roots in British Columbia, doesn't necessarily pave the way for expansion in all areas of the country, Mixon says.

“We desire to reach more clients and we desire to partner with businesses that share our values, and now that may include more business in Canada,” he said. “But it's not as straightforward as in the U.S.”

On the whole, the U.S. and Canadian markets have more similarities than they have differences, Mixon says.

“The demographic trends in Canada are similar to the U.S.— no one is getting any younger,” he said, “and the need for mobility services, specifically those oriented toward the home, is an absolute trend there, as well.”