FI Dec 18 Rep Corner

REP CORNER

BY LAURA THILL

Wheels in Motion

One man’s passion for design has led to newfound mobility for those in need.

Editor’s note: To learn more about Wheelchair Labs, or to donate, visit www.wheelchairlabs.org.

Growing up a severe asthmatic, Lance Greathouse found himself sidelined from most school sports. It was his mother’s idea to appeal to his creative side. “My mother managed to get me interested in everything science,” says the Benco service technician. From erupting volcanoes to designing science fair projects, “the fun was in making ideas come to life,” he recalls. Eventually, his skills would lead him to start his Glendale, Ariz.-based company, Wheelchair Labs, and design unique wheelchairs in honor of his brother, Brent Greathouse, who died of Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) in 2004.

In the early days, Greathouse remembers working extensively with his father and brother, restoring Model T cars and reinventing some of the first VW sand buggies in the country. “After completing a project, I just wanted to move ahead to the next idea,” he says.

When it became clear that electronics wasn’t his dad’s strength, Greathouse decided to pursue a college degree in electronics and computer engineering. Following his graduation, he went to work at his uncle’s dental office, cleaning and repairing equipment. “This experience was an immense help when I joined Benco Dental as a field service engineer,” he says.

One-of-a-kind chairs An equipment support technician by day, Greathouse continued to work alongside his father, as well as various family and friend volunteers, evenings and weekends. Eventually, he became involved building props and “large fire machines” for events and a couple of television programs – Junkyard Wars and Robot Wars. When Brent’s illness progressed and left him wheelchair bound, however, Greathouse realized his inventions could be both zany and practical. “I decided to build Brent a wheelchair using tank tracks and the captain’s seat out of a military airplane,” he says. “Brent could take this chair anywhere he wanted to go!” When others saw him ride by, they’d inevitably ask about his chair. “Their attention would be on his custom chair, not on his disability,” he adds. Today, the wheelchair is adorned with a photo of Brent, and it serves as Greathouse’s office chair.

Photo by: www.headshotsaz.com

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