Ready to Roll
BUTLER TWP — About two years after he first had the idea, Jan Fisher is nearly ready to start manufacturing his Wheelchair Buddy.
The Wheelchair Buddy is a waterproof cover for the armrest controls on electronic wheelchairs.
With the control panel’s high sensitivity to water, the Wheelchair Buddy is billed as the first product of its kind to hit the market. The only alternatives are using grocery bags and Saran wrap or buying a waterproof cover that the user must place his arm in, limiting mobility and comfort.
After making several prototypes and experimenting with different materials, Fisher found a design that worked with help from friend Dawn Grady of Pittsburgh, who uses a wheelchair.
He filed for patent protection, received a provisional patent and founded the OmniOne Group of Pennsylvania all within the past year.
“I’m amazed at how quickly God took this idea, that was meant to help people, and now it’s going to help the people that inspired me and millions of others,” Fisher said.
Though he had been selling through his website a small number of the covers that he has made with part-time help, the company has taken several steps forward in the past two months.
With some financial backers, Fisher was able to rent a building on Hansen Avenue in Lyndora where he plans to set up a small manufacturing operation in the near future.
In the beginning, the company will have six employees, including Fisher, who will sew, assemble and package the Wheelchair Buddys. He plans to start out with three colors: black, red and pink.
Though he said he would like to participate in a vocational rehabilitation program through which he would employ disabled people and receive a grant from the state, the company needs workers experienced with a sewing machine to start.
Wheelchair users will depend on the covers, which makes it important for them to be well made of materials that will last, mainly nylon, plastic and elastic.
“I want them to last, you put it on your chair and it’s not going to fall apart in nine months,” he said.
Fisher estimates that he can produce 48 covers a day, with the staff working an eight-hour shift.
The long-term plan is to have the covers stocked at pharmacies. There are numerous stores that have expressed interest, he said.
Fisher is the CEO and currently the only full-time employee for the company, but he has had some help getting started.
The Rev. Mary Kitchen, of the East Butler Presbyterian Church, said she and her husband, Allan, have been mentors and supporters of Fisher and his idea since they first met through the church.
They not only recognized the usefulness of his invention, but also the potential for business success, Kitchen said.
“I admired his creativity and determination in wanting to move forward,” she said.
“We believe in the value of his business. He has a vision and we want to help him to achieve it.”
