Sep 8, 2024 6 min read

When age or disability slows you down and limits your physical abilities, your world shrinks. With that, your self-esteem can also shrink. You might begin to limit yourself.

Progressive Mobility and Medical is here to restore dignity and confidence in their clients, helping them achieve goals they didn’t even realize they had.

President Brian Matthews started his career in the financial industry, but once the company he worked for had been bought out, he felt stuck and knew he wanted to get out and get into sales. At the time, he helped his in-laws, the original owners, prepare the plans to purchase the company’s current building at 320 Cameron Road in South Strabane Township.

“‘Why don’t you take this over?'” they asked him.

“Long story short, we put it in God’s hands and trusted that if he wanted us to do this, he’s going to lay it out, and he did. And here we are,” Matthews said.

That’s been 22 of the 46 years Progressive Mobility has been open, and since he’s taken the helm, the business has grown.

Despite major national corporations gobbling up other smaller businesses like theirs, Progressive Mobility has persevered. And, if everything goes according to plan, the company will remain in the family for another generation, as his son hopes to take over one day. The business has received buyout offers, but Matthews won’t sell because he enjoys what he does. Each customer interaction is rewarding, as each sale brings a person closer to a tangible improvement in their lives. Matthews said he and his staff take the time to talk with every client, learning their needs and laying out several potential solutions, finding the right one for their needs and preferences. He also treats everyone with respect and dignity, talking to clients directly instead of their careers.

“I don’t know any other job that’s like this … Those are the things that keep you going. I tell this story often that my happiest client I ever had, I never sold a thing to them,” Matthews said.

He explained that many things are evident to him with a glance through his work and extensive training. One woman entered the store, and he could immediately tell her cane was too tall by the way the tip was wearing. It was a wooden cane that needed to be cut and sized. Matthews took her cane to the back and resized it with a saw.

“She came back a month or so later and said, ‘You don’t understand. My headaches are gone. My neck pain is gone. My shoulder pain is gone.’ That’s what’s fun about this job. I got to help her, but all I did was cut her cane.”

Safety and dignity for the client are paramount, but Matthews said it’s often the family, too, that benefits from Progressive Mobility’s products. The relief of a child once their aging parent has been outfitted with the proper tools to keep them in their home safely is often evident on their face. A spouse trying unsafely to lift their partner into their home over steps just isn’t practical, nor is it safe long term. Sometimes, it’s the simple things, like a walker or shower chair, or it can be something more extensive, like a stair lift, ramp or other home modification.

“There aren’t stores like this,” Matthews said.

There aren’t showrooms with several options available to test drive, making Progressive Mobility extremely unique.

“This is how, a lot of times, it happens. Yes, we get referrals straight from the medical field. So and so needs a wheelchair, a power chair. But when they come in, they say, ‘ I don’t know what I need. Here’s the problem I have.’ Okay, so now we’re going to sit down, and we’re going to talk. We dig in. What is the problem?”

From there, Matthews and his team can lay out several options and potential plans, including products customers never knew existed. Then, the client can choose what’s best for them, which gives them much more agency and control than they may be used to receiving in the medical world. Many people walk in with just one goal, like getting to the bathroom or going to the doctor. But Matthews encourages them not to be so singularly focused. What else is possible? He ensures his team focuses on clients’ needs and wants, like getting to a grandchild’s ball game.

“My first power chair I ever did, I went to guy’s house. He hadn’t been out on his porch in four years. Can you imagine not going out your front door for four years? So, I got my ramps. I took in the chair. Part of what I do is a test drive. We have to test-drive it. So we test-drove it. I put the ramp at the front door and said, ‘Come on. Let’s go outside.’ So we went on the front porch, ” Matthews recalls.

He went inside and got the client a blanket since it was a little chilly, and they sat outside together for about 45 minutes and just talked.

“A couple of years later, I saw him out in public. Not only is he off his porch, but now he’s out and doing things. That’s rewarding.”

His team is comprised of about 16 to 18 employees, with many longtime employees that become like family. Three have left and returned, and many have tenures of over a decade.

The longevity of the business and staff speaks to the company’s culture. Family is incredibly important to Matthews.

“Now my son is involved, and he is following my footsteps. He’s getting his certifications,” Matthews said.

Matthews’s certificates are extensive, including one specifically for high-end power wheelchairs, another to supply rehabilitation and mobility supplies and another for Americans with Disabilities Act compliance. He can also serve as an expert witness in assistive technology in Pennsylvania.

There are many pieces to assistive tools that laypeople don’t consider, like the turning radius of a power wheelchair or the angle of a ramp. Continuing education ensures he keeps up with the latest technology. Matthews said the most significant innovation in his field in his 22 years has been voice-activated technologies. Smart lightbulbs and WiFi-connected security cameras, which may not have been created for those with disabilities in mind, are still some of the easiest things to add to make life a little easier for people with limited mobility.

Through life’s changes, Progressive Mobility is here to help with one-on-one customized service with compassion and respect. Matthews wants to help his clients shift their perspectives and open their eyes to options they never thought possible.

Sponsored content brought to you by Progressive Mobility.