Accessible Systems prizes experience, as competition heats up in home access

“We’ve known and respected each other for years,” said Nathan Colburn, partner, Accessible Systems. “I think Greg and his team have learned this business just like Accessible Systems from years of experience.”

Greg Shepherd, the owner of Ascent Mobility, will join the leadership team of Accessible Systems, and his staff will continue in their current roles.

Accessible Systems, based here, has five locations in Colorado, Utah and Texas, and 46 employees. Lakewood, Colo.-based Ascent Mobility offers stairlifts, wheelchair ramps and lifts, private elevators, overhead ceiling lifts and safety railings, and has five employees.

“We do have similar territories and similar product lines, but slightly different models and different brands, so we’re trying to figure out how to put all those together,” Shepherd said. “But the exciting thing is we can pick and choose which ones we feel are the best ones.”

For now, the two companies will retain their names, phone numbers and websites, but the goal is to make a smooth transition eventually.

“We don’t have ‘on this day, we’ll do business under this name or that,’” said Colburn. “We want to serve the customer and when the customers are taken care of, that’s when we’ll be ready for it.”

While the two companies have joined forces, competitors are piling in, says Colburn. The Home Depot, Lowes, Internet businesses and even gutter companies are trying to cash in by adding home accessibility to their product lines.

“The private equity market is also getting involved in our industry,” he said. “They see that market and they can see that seniors are inclined to stay in their homes and they’re willing to invest in products that will help them do that.”