ATLANTA – Patented Stability Gliders™ from Stabilized Steps, Naples, Florida, attach to the bottom of medical walkers—allowing the walkers to be stable on various surfaces such as indoor floors, sand, gravel, grass, mud, and snow.
The elegant simplicity of the product appealed to Medtrade attendees who gave the young company two awards at Medtrade—the New Product Pavilion Providers’ Choice Silver Award (sponsored by HomeCare Magazine) and the third place prize in the Innovative HME Retail Product Awards (also sponsored by HomeCare). It’s rare to place in both categories, but Stephanie C. Gomez, president, co-founder, and CEO, believes it all comes down to recognition of a fundamentally good idea that is particularly well suited to DME providers.
Eryk Hardwick (pictured with Gomez) invented the product and got the patent in 2013, but it wasn’t until Gomez joined the team to form Stabilized Steps that new possibilities began to take shape. Gomez left her job as a commercial banker to take on the role of president, co-founder, and CEO.
After investing her time, money, and expertise, the product is now gaining traction in the DME world. “This is a perfect product for DME providers,” said Gomez. “I had someone call me and they wanted to help me bring this product to Walgreen’s, and I’m not interested in Walgreen’s, because you need someone in a DME store—a sales representative who is showcasing the product and has a floor sample.”
Gomez continues to work tirelessly to hone the company brand and solidify its foundation. That takes time, and she is patient. She explained: “Some people said, ‘Just get it to market and we’ll make adjustments.’ I said, ‘No, you are dealing with people’s stability and their balance issues.’ Part of the reason our reception at Medtrade was so good is because this product is a great idea. This has an impact on people to be able to go outdoors and be more stable indoors. We were prepared and took our time to develop a good quality product. I work days and nights on this.”
Stabilized Steps earned awards at Medtrade, held last month at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. DME providers will get another chance to learn from the best experts in the industry, and learn about the newest products, next year at Medtrade Spring, scheduled for March 27-29, 2018, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
