Local man hopes to market invention originally built to assist his mother

Derek Stonebraker

It is not always easy for disabled people to get around during the long Michigan winters.

Daryl Hertema of Mount Pleasant saw his mother struggle with transportation in the snowy weather and came up with a solution.

After Hertema’s mother underwent a heart attack and a stroke and lost her peripheral vision, Hertema started working on an off-road mobile wheelchair that would help her get around more easily.

“We really want to make it something people can perform tasks with,” he said.

He created one for his mother, and for the last two years he has been working on forming his creation into a product.

“Many industry people have been contributing and I have been seeking out consultants and contractors throughout the project,” he said.

A Central Michigan University research team has helped develop the invention for market.

“There are currently 10 of the machines being built, and they will be put out into the market in states throughout the Midwest by April, just in time for turkey season,” Hertema said. “Pricing will be between $10,000 and $14,000.”

Hertema said the machine is an all-terrain vehicle targeted toward people who may not be able to get around as easily or maintain outdoor tasks and hobbies anymore.

The vehicle will eventually come with different features for activities such as snowplowing, ice fishing and even a maneuvering chair for hunting, he said. It will be able to go around 12 to 13 miles per hour with great stability for hilly or steep land.

As an Iowa State graduate with a mechanical engineering degree, Hertema also worked at John Deere and Dow Chemical, giving him background knowledge that helped him, he said.

Of course the project has had its challenges. He said that a big challenge for the product has been naming it.

“It’s technically not a wheelchair, but it is a mobility unit that’s all-terrain and user friendly. I’ve hired some marketing consultants to help with the right name,” he said.

“One of my biggest challenges personally has been just trying to understand others’ limitations when they can’t get around,” he said.

Hertema said he is very hopeful for the machine’s future because it got big customer interest at two expo shows in the past year.

metro@cm-life.com