The AmRamp systems are metal, modular pieces that fit together in a variety of configurations to provide step-less access for residential and commercial settings. AmRamp West Michigan both sells and leases the product.

Ramps help disabled, and Evergreen Commons budget
Elizabeth Slowik

A for-profit subsidiary of Evergreen Commons, the mega senior citizens activities center in Holland, is a thriving business that installs wheelchair access ramps across Michigan.

All the proceeds from Evergreen Ramps LLC, which does business as AmRamp West Michigan, support Evergreen Commons at 480 State St. The nonprofit center provides a wide array of services for people age 50 and up: classes, activities, group, clubs, a fitness center, meals, counseling and in-home services.

Late last year, Larry Erlandson left his post as president of Evergreen Commons to become president and CEO of the ramp franchise, which began operations in 2006 as a way to diversify revenue. David Knibbe is now president of Evergreen Commons.

“I think it was around 2005 when I first saw this product at an aging conference,” Erlandson said. “I came back and talked to our board of directors at Evergreen Commons about it. In trying to have a diversified funding base, we were looking at what I would term an ‘earned income business venture’ — some kind of a business that earns a profit, and the profits go back to support the not-for-profit senior center.”

According to an Internal Revenue Service filing for the tax year that ended June 30, 2009 — the latest form available — Evergreen Commons reported income from the subsidiary of $341,715.

The AmRamp systems are metal, modular pieces that fit together in a variety of configurations to provide step-less access for residential and commercial settings. AmRamp West Michigan both sells and leases the product, he said. The franchiser is based in Boston.

“It’s made out of steel, and the tread of the ramp that you walk or wheel on is a mesh material, so that here in Michigan, snow and ice and water can just go through the material so it doesn’t become slippery, which is one of the advantages of it, I think,” he said.

“The other thing is, being steel, it doesn’t rot or warp like wood. Another thing is its modular design. It’s considered durable medical equipment, in the sense that it’s not construction where you have to dig holes and put something in the ground. It doesn’t become a permanent structure. It’s modular and it all sits above ground. It’s kind of a big erector set.”

The ramps can be installed quickly, said general manager Doug Draeger, who has crew members on call who can travel anywhere in the Lower Peninsula on short notice. That’s ideal, he said, for people who are being discharged from a health care facility and need to access their homes quickly. Generally, the ramps do not require building permits.

Draeger said the company also does temporary installations on a rental basis, even for less than a day, such as a ramp used at the State Capitol for a rally.

“Not too many systems are available for rent,” Erlandson added. “So if somebody’s on a three-month recovery from an injury and an accident, then when their rehab is over and they are back mobile again, it can be taken out very easily. And then we can turn around and rent it to somebody else.”

The company has installed more than 1,000 ramps over four years, Draeger said. Priced per foot and turn, ramps have ranged from as little as $300 to $16,000, but average around $2,000 to $3,000, he said. AmRamp West Michigan also sells temporary, portable ramps that fit into a case.

“Oftentimes we forget that part of keeping people in their home is not just what we do in their homes, but giving them the ability to get in and out of their homes,” Erlandson said. “The government will help pay for a scooter, for instance, for getting around their home, but they won’t pay for the ramp so you can get in and out of your house.”

Draeger said bills that would require insurance coverage for ramps have died in recent sessions of the state Legislature.

“It’s a major issue,” said Draeger, who previously was a sports goods sales rep.

“I have talked to people that literally have not been able to get out of their house for a couple of years. One lady down in Coloma, when she had to leave for appointments, she had her neighbors carry her out. The reason she called me the last time (was that) they dropped her. I run into that literally more than once a week: People are homebound and there is no funding to pay for ramps.”

He said occasionally he has helped people find partial funding or loans through organizations such as the Veterans Administration, Area Agency on Aging or the Michigan Assistive Technology Loan Fund.

“It really makes a huge difference in people’s lives,” Erlandson added.