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Case Studies
Geauga Rehabilitation Engineering, Inc.
As the American population ages, the demand for high-quality prosthetic devices (artificial limbs) has grown tremendously. Today, most limb replacement is a result of aging, poor circulation or disease, not trauma. The nation’s so called “baby boomers,” people who are accustomed to an active lifestyle, are simply not content with prosthetic devices that are uncomfortable or slow down their busy lives. Thus, the industry has evolved to combine strong, lightweight materials, computer technology and advanced engineering to introduce the next generation of prosthetic devices.Jonathan Naft, an electrical engineer and licensed prosthetist/orthotist, started Geauga Rehabilitation Engineering (GRE) in 1995. Located in Geauga County near Chardon, Ohio, the company fits and fabricates custom prosthetic devices (artificial limbs), orthotics (braces) and pedorthics (special shoes). Prior to 1999, the company was located in a cramped medical office, with seven employees sharing approximately 800 square feet. “Fabrication of these devices requires a certain amount of space,” explains Naft. “It’s not something that can be done on a tabletop. Our ability to serve our patients was being impacted because we were in such an overcrowded facility.” In addition to fabrication space, GRE needed more room for client consultations and fittings, and administrative staff.
Naft addressed the company’s need to grow by purchasing 2.5 acres of land next to the company’s office. His dream to use the property to construct a stand-alone, state-of-the-art, professional building was made possible through financing by KeyBank and Growth Capital Corp., utilizing an SBA 504 loan. “As a young company, our ability to leverage financing was limited,” Naft says. “Bringing in Growth Capital and the SBA certainly helped to make the project more viable by lowering the risk.”
Since occupying the new 5,000 square-foot building in the summer of 2000, GRE has doubled its employment to 16 people and opened two additional patient care facilities in Ashtabula and Mentor. The company has gained national and international recognition for innovative and life-changing devices. GRE staff fits patients in private homes, nursing homes, rehab centers and hospitals. All of the fabrication is done in the Chardon facility by an experienced team of orthotists, prosthetists and technicians who combine old world theories with modern concepts. “The art of prosthetics is centuries old,” says Naft. “As the industry moves in a high-tech direction, we must remind ourselves not to discard the old techniques, but to combine them with the tremendous materials and skills that we have today.”
Some of GRE’s recent achievements include completing a joint research project with Becker Orthopedic, a global leader in joint manufacturing, to develop a leg brace controlled by a microprocessor. This break-though device is due for unveiling in winter 2003. By use of the computer-controlled brace, patients with partial leg paralysis will potentially reach their goal of more efficient ambulation compared to current mechanical systems. GRE has also recently added digital engineering to its menu of design capabilities.
“We’re now free to grow the company without concerns about being constricted by our facility,” explains Naft. “That is such a luxury for a small business.”
For more information on the services of Growth Capital Corp., contact (216) 592-2233.
"Providing Creative Financing Solutions for Small Businesses"
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