At Home with Dealers
Company Name: Wright-Way Inc.
Location/Contact Info:
175 E. Interstate 30
Garland, TX 75043
(972) 240-8839
[email protected]
Established: 1952
Home Health Products spoke with company owner Tom Wright.
FUN FACT: We have regular cookouts for our team and our clients, where we cook hamburgers and hotdogs to relax and spend time socializing in a family environment. Business is business but here at Wright-Way we think it is important to take the time to celebrate life with those that we work with. |
Size of company: We have 15 employees, several that have been with us for more than 15 years. We generate more than 750 new clients per year and we have an active mailing list of 15,000. We enjoy a family-type atmosphere and keep our employees long term. We don?t have a lot of turnover and that, in itself, gives our customer base a sense of well being. We know our customers and their families.
Types of products sold: We manufacture several types of hand controls and install all types of vehicle mobility equipment, modifications and hi-tech driving systems. All of our modifications are specific to our clients' needs. We represent many manufacturers of mobility products to round out a complete listing of available products to fit the customer needs. Having been in the business for as long as we have, we are well versed in product and customer need.
Innovations of the dealer: We have developed products that are still in use in the mobility industry. Those include special lifts to load mobility devices such as wheelchairs. Others products include secure power mobility units in vehicles. Wright-Way also has been instrumental in developing acknowledgment forms and delivery documents for the industry. We have contributed to the industry for as long as we have been here. Over the past 60 years, technology has changed and we have kept up with that, thereby providing our customers with the best the industry has to offer.
What is unique about your store?
We have been in the same location for 53 years and were the first Quality Assurance Program (QAP) participant in north Texas and have established a reputation of operating with honesty, integrity and personal responsibility. In addition to adhering to the highest level of safety standards, we are the oldest mobility equipment dealer in the country. We have long-term employees that not only know the business inside and out, but they know our customers as well.
What component of your business is working well for you?
We have a high level of customer service and of course, a high level of concern and respect for our clients and their safety. We also provide a wealth of information in order to further educate those with disabilities in their quest to gain mobility and independence. Most times, someone with a new disability is completely lost when it comes time for the ins and outs of a vehicle conversion. Our Web site is dedicated to offering a wealth of information to those who need it www.wrightwaymobility.com.
What is something you have learned from your experience in the mobility industry?
There are many times when we see people who are newly disabled. With that there is denial, anger, fear and sometimes a total sense of loss. When you give someone their independence back, the healing process is much faster. With that comes a sense of, "I can do." We offer in-service programs to educate people with disabilities as to the modifications that are custom made for them as individuals with respect to their own disability.
Do you think the mobility industry is changing?
With new technology there are more regulations. Our customers are also better educated on products as well as more complex vehicle modifications. With the population living longer and with more people on the road, we are reaching a level of a higher disability rate that continues to grow each year. We are also seeing more stringent safety standards put in to place by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA) for mobility dealers.
If you could change something about the mobility industry, what would it be?
As a mobility dealer operating with the standards that are our day-to-day norm, I would make sure that all mobility dealers had to follow a strict set of standards that would ensure the safety of their clients. I would also like to see those standards enforced.
This article originally appeared in the July 2006 issue of HME Business.