The off-road mobility vehicle was a life-changer for wheelchair-bound Todd Lemay (who suffers from brittle bone disease). “I purchased a TerrainHopper for myself from the UK. It allowed me to go places I had not been able to go before, and the positive reaction from people when I was out in it was overwhelming. … I wanted to bring the TerrainHopper to the U.S. to give other people the opportunity to experience the new-found freedom that I now had.”
He founded Tempe-based TerrainHopper USA LLC in November 2017. For the next steps, he had to go beyond his previous experience as a serial entrepreneur. “I have always started and been involved with service-based businesses where all you need is an office, phone number, business cards and a service to sell.” The new endeavor required procuring parts from different suppliers, working with various metal shops to fabricate more than 100 different custom TerrainHopper parts, and coordinating with his counterparts in the UK to ensure everything was to the original TerrainHopper specifications. “All this had to be done while, at the same time, obtaining and learning how to read CAD drawings, procuring the correct tools and equipment that we need, and designing and building a production line to assemble the TerrainHoppers,” he recalls.
