When Mobility Challenges Arise, Solutions Are a Need – Not a Want
When Amramp Accessibility franchisees evaluate the company, they can recount one advantage after another. For instance, the Massachusetts-based brand has proven staying power, with a 27-year history and dozens of units in operation. Low start-up costs make it affordable to aspiring entrepreneurs. Franchisees appreciate the brand’s national call center and expert corporate team, which is always ready to help. Amramp owners also feel great about their mission of solving problems for clients and changing lives for the better in the process.
Other intangibles include its collaborative culture, treating every franchisee with caring respect. The company went so far as to develop a new website designed around franchisees’ feedback. “We know that Amramp’s success depends on the success of each franchise owner,” says CEO Justin Gordon, the founder’s son. “That plays into every decision we make at headquarters.”
Recession-Resistant Franchise Opportunity
While all of those benefits add up to a solid franchise investment, Gordon believes that the ability to thrive during a recession could be the best reason for investing in an Amramp franchise. “Accessibility dramatically improves quality of life for anyone with mobility challenges. The inescapable need for our services helped us get through the Great Recession in the early 2000s and the sluggish post-pandemic economy.
“We’re confident that Amramp can weather future economic slowdowns, too. That’s not only because of our vital products and services, but also because demographics and simple economics set our franchisees up for success.” He outlines eight factors that will sustain Amramp’s success even during an economic slump.
1. Trusted Name
Within the accessibility industry, Amramp has established itself as a reliable, respected, go-to brand with many durable products that can be designed to meet or exceed Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. The franchise enhances accessibility with stairlifts, handrails, bathroom grab bars, portable showers and customized home modifications, but Amramp’s signature product is its patented modular ramp system.
The ultra-strong steel ramps are powder-coated to resist rust and have an open mesh surface to make them slip-resistant despite ice, snow, rain or mold. Ramps can be installed with a fast turnaround because they seldom require building permits, concrete footings or digging. And they’re spacious, with a level surface that accommodates wheelchair turns.
2. Essential Service
When people can’t climb steps or function safely doing everyday tasks, then ramps, stairlifts and other forms of accessibility assistance become a necessity. “People can delay a vacation or repair a car instead of buying a new one,” Gordon points out, “but they must be able to get in and out of their homes. They must be able to go upstairs to their bedrooms and bathrooms. They have to minimize fall hazards. Consumers can’t delay or avoid spending to restore accessibility when their well-being is at stake.”
3. America Is Aging
In 2020, the last U.S. Census, the 55.8 million Americans aged 65 or older comprised 16.8% of the total population. That percentage will increase with every birthday of the 73 million total baby boomers, who were born from 1946 to 1964. As people age, their ability to climb steps can decline because of ailments and injuries, and their sense of balance deteriorates. These seniors create a large market for Amramp.
The franchise offers the means for seniors to stay in their homes, keeping them close to their health care teams as well as the friends and family who provide social and emotional support. That support fosters wide-ranging health benefits: Citing a review of 81 studies, the National Institutes of Health reported that social support correlates with better cardiovascular and immune system functioning. NIH also reported that emotional support led to better cognitive functioning.
4. Cost-Efficient for Clients
Nationally, the median cost of nursing homes is $9,733 a month, $320 a day or $116,796 a year for a private room, according to November 2024 figures from A Place for Mom, a leading senior living referral service. With the average ramp price at $5,000 to purchase and a few hundred dollars a month to rent, customers can save money and age in place with Amramp’s accessibility products and home modification solutions.
5. Home-Based
Amramp franchises are home-based, with owners just needing the appropriate storage space or warehouse unit for materials. During a recession, owners’ low overhead – no office lease or purchase, no additional utility bills, and no commute – helps them stay in the black.
6. Other Client Sources
Amramp caters to a variety of customer personas, working with hospitals, rehabilitation centers, schools, veterans’ groups, event planners and government programs that refer customers who need accessibility services. It also serves businesses that need ADA-compliant entry ramps, bathrooms and construction sites. These additional client types are often repeat referral sources, increasing revenue for Amramp franchisees.
7. Rent or Buy?
Customers have a choice of renting or purchasing Amramp equipment. A client recovering from a broken leg, knee surgery or hip replacement, for example, may choose to rent the equipment if their recovery time is less than 12 months. This gives franchise owners an edge over competitors that only sell their products.
8. Repeat Income
Amramp’s ramp and stairlift materials are reusable. Repeat rentals of the same materials create a steady, recurring revenue stream.
To Learn More
Amramp has 54 franchises and two company-owned locations. It has territories available in most states and in Canada.
To learn more about recession resistant franchise opportunities with Amramp Accessibility, click here.
