Why Choose Our Stairlift

Why Buy from “Stannah in the Mountain West?”

Two families, one Stairlift.

Over 40 years ago, two families came together to provide the Mountain States a Stairlift solution second to none. The resulting partnership has provided the most experienced, professional, and financially sound source for Stairlifts in the Mountain States. 

The Stannah Family

The Stannah Family Company was founded in London England by Joseph Stannah in 1867. The company originally specialized in building lifts to load and unload goods from ships on the London Docks. 

Today Stannah Limited is owned and operated by the 5th generation of Stannahs. These grandsons and granddaughters are involved in the daily operations of this powerhouse of  a manufacturer still today. Stairlifts are now their business and have been since the early 1970’s. The Stannah family operates the most successful stairlift manufacturing company in the world. 

Stannah Stairlifts manufactures 70% of all stairlifts world wide, shipping their ONE MILLIONTH stairlift in 2020. No Publicly traded stock, no Venture capital firms, no buyouts, no name changes, This is one of the last family owned 150 year old manufacturers in the world. A debt free company allows Stannah to be the leader in an industry by spending money on research and development instead of interest or shareholders dividends. 

Headquartered in Andover England, the Stannah family sought out partners in the United States and successfully established U.S. export partners in 1976. This effort is looked to as one of the foundational reasons Stannah has become the world’s largest stairlift manufacturer as the United States has recently became the largest stairlift market in the world. (The United Kingdom was the top stairlift market world wide until 2015.) This effort started with Stannah establishing a very select group of Partner stores with the most successful stairlift companies already established in the United States, as well as an import hub and factory store in Boston Massachusetts. 

The Hyde Family

In 1962  Larry Hyde became one of the five original founders of the production stairlift business in the United States. Larry sold the first production stairlift west of the Mississippi in the United States in the spring of  1962. 

Going  forward Larry grew the Stairlift business rapidly, becoming one of the most significant drivers in the industry. Larry was providing each of the Mountain States, stairlifts by 1976. He was working with a variety of manufacturers as he sought out a manufacturer that he would eventually shift all the Mountain States business over to. He was searching for a stairlift that did not attach to the walls, was manufactured in such a way that the stairs were usable by others in the home as well as a manufacturing partner that would not build only a “one size fits all” stairlift.  These three major items were not being addressed by any of the manufacturers at the time.

Just as Larry was searching in earnest with little luck, Stannah looked to expand their business into the United States, they were looking for partner companies that shared their values and were family based. It was only fitting that the Hyde family was offered one of the first Stannah Partner Stores in the United States. They already manufactured their stairlifts in such a way that all three of Larry’s major concerns were met. 

Larry went forward and established an extremely focussed partnership with Stannah. This partnership immediately resulted in the Hyde family selling only Stannah Stairlifts. From that point forward the Hyde family business was marketed and known as “Stannah in the Mountain West.”

As the company grew Larry was able to bring his son Matthew Hyde in as a partner in the business. They built this business shoulder to shoulder for 25 years. Today Matthews’ son has joined the ranks of the company. Working in every department as he pays his way through college. His plans to join the family enterprise have been part of his plans for as long as he can remember making this family business one that covers three generations. 

From the beginning of this unique partnership formed between two family companies, consumers in the Mountain States have enjoyed a wide product range, unique pricing arrangements,  unique warranties, and exclusive guarantees. Consumers cannot find these unique benefits at any other other Stannah distribution point in the United States.

 One of just three Double Diamond Stannah Partners WORLDWIDE. Stannah in the Mountain West has been recognized as a Double Diamond Partner for Each of its stores, year after year, longer than any other Stannah Partner company.

Through this decades old partnership, and still today “Stannah in the Mountain West” has serviced 1/5 of the continental U.S. as the premier and preferred Stannah Distribution point. 

Due to the general architecture, and the fact people in the mountain states remain in their homes longer than any other area in the United States, this geographic area represents the largest stairlift market in the United States. This has only been compounded by the Population from both coasts recently making a great exodus to the Mountain States as a retirement destination. The Partnership the Hyde family made with the Stannah family is only strengthened by this constant growth. 

Stannah into the modern age.

Relevant and Competitive.

Prior to the early 2000’s, a Stannah Stairlift was seen world wide, only as THE premier stairlift choice as well as the most full featured lift available. 

This resulted in Stannah stairlifts often being “Premier Priced” as well. The Stairlift market was larger in the United Kingdom than anywhere in the world, one of the major influences was the United Kingdom’s NHS (National Healthcare System). The NHS largely paid for Stairlifts with a valid doctors prescription and had since the 1960’s until relatively recently reducing the subsidies to only a portion of select consumer groups. This is the major reason all major manufacturers of stairlifts are still based out of the United Kingdom or the Netherlands. These areas accounted for over 80% of all stairlifts purchased and installed in the world until just the last decade. The concentration of stairlifts being found in virtually every elderly persons home in the U.K. lead to significant improvements over the years that would have taken decades to make had the market grown on a global scale to begin with. 

This also led to an interesting word being added to the general european vocabulary starting the 1970’s… Like Bandaid is known in the United States as a “Stick on” convenient little bandage even though it is a brand name of a particular product; In Western Europe and the United Kingdom a “Stannah” is the accepted and most popular reference to a stairlift. “I am going to ride the Stannah up to bed”. It is even found in many english conversion dictionaries. The kind you would buy in a gift shop while traveling.

Stannah manufactured their lifts to meet as many needs as possible as the NHS in the United Kingdom required the lifts to be able to meet any number of health needs from end stage cancer or hip replacements, to Macular degeneration or Arthritis and any number of health issues or physical limitations. 

 Every Stair lift had to be able to carry the heaviest and largest person or the smallest and lightest patient. Their first lifts could fit both husband and wife (if they were a small couple) seated next to each other. They didn’t want anyone to have issues using their lifts now, or as their health needs changed in the future. 

This approach was awarded with a reputation that had proven a Stannah Stairlift would not let the consumers down with a lack of technology, features or adjustments. It also resulted in the NHS purchasing virtually exclusively Stannah stairlifts for over four decades. NHS began to ween back their willingness to pay for Stairlifts in the early 2000’s as their national health care system ran into financial issues landing in the reduced capacity they serve now in 2011.

Truly Partners

For many years Stannah looked to their U.S. partners and subsidiary for input into product development through test marketing different models, features, and pricing in an effort to offer stairlifts to a wider audience.   Increasingly competitive markets, and consumers becoming more savvy every year, Stannah could have never captured, or kept their 70% world market share, if their lifts were considered the “Cadillac” of Stairlifts. (Most of their customers never owned a Cadillac.) Although Stannah had maintained their 70% world market share since the 70’s, in the early 2000,s Stannah made a significant change in their business model that they felt would assure they would continue to hold this unprecedented market share in the decades to come while still meeting the needs of the patients they serve. It worked, without exception. 

There is still no argument today, within the Stairlift industry, or with consumers that own them, or even consumers that perform the proper research when considering buying one, Stannah manufactures the best stairlift in the world. 

However, the significant shift Stannah made in the early 2000’s converted their product manufacturing over to a “Needs Based” approach. In this approach Stannah treats every customer based on the needs of the home combined with the needs of the Customer/Patient. Instead of every Stannah Stairlift coming equipped with every option or “Bells and Whistles” every stairlift is custom made for the needs of the customer. Including one being the customers budget.

During this same period the stairlift Industry outside of the Stannah Brand shifted to one or two models with a “One Size Fits ALL” approach. One that favored the least expensive, cheapest to build, and easiest to export the manufacture of the lifts or major components to a Pacific Rim nation. This shift left the consumers that purchased these other brands with little room for growth or change in their needs as they aged up to and including reduced seat height adjustment.

Stannah expanded their product line with up to 12 different models and 38 different available options. The motto “Never sell a customer too much stairlift, never leave a customer needing more stairlift than they bought.”

Stannah was able to retain their core value of building the highest quality Stairlifts, however; One customer may have extremely straightforward stairs combined with few unique physical needs, resulting in an extremely reasonable price, and simple installation with what may be a basic stairlift. While another customer may have more complicated stairs combined with unique physical needs like diabetes, Rheumatoid Arthritis, or Macular degeneration, Resulting in a stairlift that is custom fit to both the unique needs of the staircase as well as the Unique and very individual needs of the customers health and lifestyle. While the second example may cost slightly more than the first the significant volume that Stannah produces by maintaining 70 percent of the world market share keeps every option and feature extremely reasonably priced. 

With Stannah the customer is never stuck buying a “One Size Fits All” stairlift.  This allowed Stannah to have the most competitive pricing and no longer be viewed as a “Premier Priced” stairlift. 

We will be there when you need us.

In the last SIX DECADES there have been many ups and downs in the economy as well as numerous stairlift manufacturers and companies have come and gone. In 2019 alone three significant national stairlift companies closed their doors as well all manufacturers with the exception of Stannah dramatically decreased their warranties. 

Since the first Stannah stairlift sold in the United States in 1976 we can proudly state that not one customer has gone without service and we still produce the parts to maintain those first chairs installed, all the way back in 1976. 

A real person to answer your call and come to your home.

Today Larry Hyde at 83 Years young is still present at one of the many offices at least five days per week. Larry enjoys the impact that the company makes and sees his Vocation as his avocation. When you call Stannah in the Mountain West you always get  a real person employed by the company. No call centers, no machines, and no buttons to press. All contact you have with our company is with employees or even owners of the company. No Contractors. You are always provided with fully certified career level sales people as well as technicians.

Your Never Alone with “Stannah in the Mountain West”

Whether its next week, next year, or 25 years from now, Stannah in the Mountain West will be there to keep your chair as safe and dependable as it was the first day the lift helped stairs stop being an obstacle in your home. 

Every Stannah Customer enjoys the long standing value Stannah in the Mountain West adopted in the very beginning. The company captured this value with a statement that is heard by every employee every single day. “We wont sell where we are not able to provide local support.” We have made significant investments into every community we service. No Charge 24 hour on call emergency response is included in every lift for the duration of the guarantee.

Most communities in the Mountain States have had local active support since 1962. Even way back in 1962, the company made certain they were able to provide prompt local response from our very first sales. This was accomplished by positive investment into highly qualified tradesmen that are always hired with the intention of training them and keeping them until they retire.

In many areas, the company trained and paid local tradesmen as full time employees long before there was enough full time work for them to even do. As the business grew in each area, these employees remained extremely loyal knowing that their future was guaranteed from the start.

Our market-leading warranty and Guarantee

-Your journey with us doesn’t end when you buy a stairlift. 

-Is a warranty or guarantee really that important?

With a stairlift, an active warranty with a company to honor it is critically important. 

It is very simple, Stairlifts are complicated machines that once purchased, consumers become fastly dependent on them. They start to enjoy life and their home at a level that reminds them they likely should have bought the lift sooner. 

When a lift fails, even in the simplest way, the consumer needs to know without question that the company is interested in their welfare after the sale as well as intends to have the parts available to resolve problems. A company’s warranty is the only true indicator a consumer has that the company they buy from has the infrastructure, or even desire to respond to their future needs. It may be the only indicator that a company will even answer your calls when you need them the most. 

In today’s world, a Warranty or a guarantee rarely has any meaning. In a disposable world a replacement is almost always the solution as it eliminates the need for consistent skilled professionals or to build products that last. 

The problem with stairlifts is the consumer is living on a fixed income. To have to be forced to purchase a second stairlift as a means to repair one that they cannot get repaired could spell a financial disaster. Unfortunately in today’s world the average stairlift is only manufactured with an intended lifespan of 4.5 years.

With a Stannah Stairlift, all models are manufactured with the intent to last and be serviceable for at least 27 years. The lifts are designed to be serviced and manufactured with parts that are all individually replaceable. No Parts of any kind are built in the Pacific rim. All Assembly and manufacturing is completed Domestically in either the U.K., The U.S., or Germany.

Stannah in the Mountain West Guarantees to have all the parts in stock for every Stannah stairlift locally as well as the qualified and dedicated tradesman to install them. This applies to any wear and tear items as well as those covered under our warranty and guarantees. This applies to even motors and gearboxes that rarely ever fail.