Amigo Mobility International, Inc.
TypePrivate
IndustryElectric mobility devices
Founded1968 (1968)
FoundersAl Thieme
HeadquartersBridgeport Township, Michigan
Key people
Products
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata

Amigo Mobility International, Inc. is an American manufacturer that produces electric mobility devices for use in aviation, healthcare, logistics, and retail.

History

Amigo Mobility was founded by Allan "Al" R. Thieme in 1968 to manufacture and sell the electric mobility scooter he had developed.[1][2][3] At the time, Thieme was working as a plumbing and heating contractor in Bridgeport, Michigan.[4]

Thieme developed the company's first mobility scooter in 1968 to assist a family member who had begun losing their mobility due to multiple sclerosis.[2][3] He named the device Amigo in reference to a Portuguese and Spanish word for friend.[4]

Originally not considered eligible for healthcare insurance coverage as a personal mobility device usable for healthcare purposes (similar to a wheelchair), the company had to seek an amendment to existing laws by the United States Congress to quality the mobility scooter for federal reimbursement.[1][5] By the mid-1980s, the United States federal government was reimbursing nearly a portion of the cost of nearly half of the mobility scooters sold - primarily through Medicare, Medicaid, and the Veterans Health Administration.[1] The passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 increased the usability and popularity of the devices in the United States.[1]

In 1970, the company introduced their first motorized shopping cart, a variation on their mobility scooter with a built-in basket.[2]

The company began selling their mobility scooters in the United Kingdom in 1978 through Raymar, an independent and recently formed company based in the UK.[6][7]

Thieme received the National Small Business Person of the Year award in 1981 from the United States Small Business Administration.[4] His wife, Beth Thieme, joined him in receiving the Michigan Manufacturer of the Year award from the Michigan Manufacturer's Association in 2012.[2]

Amigo Mobility began providing electric mobility devices for logistical support by introducing their first electric material handling cart in 2015.[4]

In 2020, the company began construction on an expansion to their headquarters and manufacturing facility in Bridgeport Township, Michigan.[2][3] The expansion was completed a year later in 2021.[3]

Amigo Mobility acquired the company AeroTow in 2021 and expanded into providing electric mobility devices for the aviation industry.[4][8]

Products

Aircraft tugs

AeroTow

In 2021, Amigo Mobility acquired AeroTow in 2021 and expanded into manufacturing and selling aircraft tugs - used during an aircraft's pushback procedure.[3]

AeroTow, also known as Aero-Tow, was founded in 1996 by Terry Railing.[3] Railing was an original owner of Chapter 2, a machine shop that produced the Gettelman Lug-Bug.[8] He also owned and operated a True Value Hardware store prior to starting AeroTow.[8]

The company's AeroTow produces and sells electrical and manually powered tugs for a variety of small aircraft.[8]

Material handling equipment

Amigo Mobility introduced their first electric material handling cart in 2015.[4] They produce a variety of platform trucks with different tow capacities.[9]

Personal mobility devices

Amigo scooters

Amigo Mobility's founder, Al Thieme, developed their first personal mobility device - the Amigo scooter - in his garage in 1968 to assist a family member who had begun losing their mobility due to multiple sclerosis.[1][2][3] He named the device Amigo, the friendly wheelchair, in reference to amigo, a Portuguese and Spanish word for friend.[1] The first device operated at up to 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h).[1]

In 1970, the company introduced a motorized shopping cart.[2] The design remained in use until it was modernized in 2002.[4]

Amigo introduced a personal mobility device designed for use on more rugged terrain in 1987.[4]

Amigo TravelMate

They introduced the Amigo TravelMate in 1998, marketed as the world's first folding personal mobility device.[4]

See also

Look up amigo in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Buck, Stephanie (2016-09-21). "How mobility scooters went from garage project to multibillion-dollar industry". Medium. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Jordan, Heather (2020-11-20). "Amigo Mobility, Bridgeport Manufacturing investing $3.3 million in Saginaw County". mlive. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Engel, Justin (2021-09-23). "Bridgeport-based motorized mobility cart company gets into aviation business". mlive. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "About Us". Amigo Mobility. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  5. ↑ Lynch-Morin, Kathryn (2011-08-22). "Medicare-funded power wheelchairs create headache for Amigo Mobility". mlive. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  6. ↑ "History of The Mobility Scooter – Who Invented The First One?". ABLEize Blog. March 8, 2019. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  7. ↑ Sarsby, Sarah (2019-03-01). "Four decades and counting… The birth of the mobility scooter revolution". THIIS Magazine. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "About us". AeroTow. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  9. ↑ "Manufacturer Spotlight: Amigo Mobility". Facility Supplies, LLC. 2023-04-12. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
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