EDITOR'S NOTE: Building a Business is a yearlong series in which The Augusta Chronicle follows the progress of a local startup company, Everthere Carriers LLC, as it attempts to take its fledgling product to a national market. The following is the 10th story in the monthly series.

ATLANTA - Lloyd Wolf charged his 400-pound, all-terrain wheelchair straight toward Everthere Carriers.

He had spied the company's newest creation - the Everthere Mobility Carrier - in a booth at the Medtrade Conference & Exposition in Atlanta last week and wanted to know more.

The Martinez-based company's new two-piece device hitches to the back of a vehicle and allows people with disabilities to transport their wheelchairs or scooters.

The product, which has a paten pending, consists of a 30-pound lift that raises and lowers a version of the lightweight, folding cargo carrier that Everthere has based its business on.

It debuted Tuesday in the Georgia World Congress Center at Medtrade, a three-day expo at which nearly 1,000 companies show off the latest in home health care products.

"The product has just rolled out, so a great place to show it off is at one of the largest trade shows," said Laura Jordan, Everthere's trade show coordinator.

The company unveiled the creation in hopes of finding dealers for the product, which has a suggested retail price of $1,499.

Mr. Wolf, the vice president of sales for Kansas-based all-terrain wheelchair company Trac About, was among the first to see it.

"We get calls all the time from people asking where they can get a carrier," Mr. Wolf said.

When people call looking for a carrier, he now has a name to give them.

The trade show was Everthere's first, and it gave CEO Steve Threet an education.

"We're nervous," Mr. Threet said before the conference. "This is the first time we're really going to have this thing viewed publicly."

At the expo, Mr. Threet bounced between working the booth and networking with other company leaders.

At midday Tuesday, Mr. Threet entered the Everthere booth with four business cards for battery-pack manufacturers.

"That's four days of work done in half a day," said George Pocisk, the company's vice president of sales.

The current version of the carrier is powered directly by the vehicle's battery, Mr. Pocisk explained. The plan is to design a carrier with an external battery pack that will allow it to operate separately from the car, enhancing its portability. The battery pack will sell as an accessory.

Even before the trade show, Everthere had about 100 dealers interested in the carrier, Mr. Pocisk said. The plan is to have the final product ready for shipping by Dec. 1.

What separates Everthere Mobility Carriers from competing products is that it's portable, said David Gilmore, a Medtrade attendee who visited the company's booth.

Mr. Gilmore works for Medical Mobility Center in Concord N.C., a company that provides scooters and wheelchairs. He said his company might be interested in working with Everthere, but the key will be whether consumers are interested in a portable device.

"I don't know if people want that," Mr. Gilmore said.

The principals of Everthere are confident the demand exists, but they're not getting overly confident.

"I've tried not to set expectations for this," Mr. Threet said. "There have been times we've had small expectations and walked away with a big deal. There have also been points where we had higher expectations where things didn't pan out."

In any case, the goal of the trade show was to make connections, and that mission was accomplished, Mr. Threet said. They have hundreds of them.

"We've made many, many contacts. We've had tremendous interest in the product, and we're very satisfied with the outcome of the show," he said.

Reach Tony Lombardo at (706) 823-3227 or tony.lombardo@augustachronicle.com.

Everthere Carriers

Everthere Carriers LLC is a Martinez-based company still in its infancy. It's primary product is the Everthere Carrier, a lightweight portable metal carrier that attaches to a trailer hitch. This month, the company released a new product, the Everthere Mobility Carrier, which is a two-piece device that consists of a hydraulic lift and a new version of the carrier that allows for the transport of wheelchairs and scooters.

The Everthere Mobility Carrier

A portable lift and carrier designed for transporting wheelchairs and scooters in the rear of a vehicle by attaching to the hitch receiver.

- Suggested retail price: $1,499

- Available through various dealers and at www.everthere.net as early as Dec. 1

- Carries up to about 400 pounds

- Accessories include a rain cover, carrying bag, battery charger, portable battery

UPCOMING EVERTHERE SHOWS

Nov. 1-4: Everthere Carriers travels to the Las Vegas Convention Center for the Specialty Equipment Market Association show, at which company leaders will market its original cargo carrier.

Feb. 9-12: Everthere Carriers travels to Long Beach, Calif., for the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association show to market its Everthere Mobility Carrier.

Building a Business

Building a Business is a new, yearlong series in which The Augusta Chronicle follows the progress of a local start-up company, Everthere Carriers LLC, as it attempts to take its fledgling product to a national market. The following is the first story. Updates will be made monthly.

 • Series will follow company's journey
 • Area men get education in business as they mass-produce novel carrier
 • Go to manufacturers, designers with ideas
 • Trade show marketing is success for local business
 • Patent process is easier with help
 • As sales grow, Everthere is turning into full-time job
 • Product's success is dependent on testing
 • Local business picks up by latching onto Internet
 • Company revamps Web site to draw business
 • Everthere settles into new offices
 • Negotiating lease can be challenging
 • Family support is important to fulfilling dream
 • Work-life balance is one key to success
 • Licensing lets buyers tote interest
 • Logo-product partnership is beneficial to both sides
 • Everthere Carriers staff works together for success
 • New hires ease burden of increased workload
 • Everthere Carriers takes new product to health exposition
 • Preparation is important at trade event
 • Firm wrestles with issue of foreign labor
 • Cheap overseas work has its drawbacks
 • Everthere Carriers bids farewell to productive 2005
 • Everthere Carriers has come a long way
 • Q&A with Everthere's Steve Threet