Making a great 'Stride'

HURON — A prospering home medical equipment company could essentially relocate anywhere else in the state, as it does business across many parts of Ohio. But its owners chose to stay and expand in Huron, where the business started in 2012. Spouses Julie and Mark Schnieders explained the decision to keep Stride Mobility — along with its sister company, Safe Harbor Insurance Agency, established in 2008 — in the city. "We like it here," Julie said. "It's a family-owned business, and we are focused on the customer over the bottom line. Huron has become a home to us and really embraced our project. The whole city got behind us to bring this to fruition." About a month ago, the Schnieders debuted Stride's new location, 2455 Sawmill Parkway just off Rye Beach Road. It's easily seen from Ohio 2 near the BGSU Firelands exit. Safe Harbor is located in the same building. The $2 million-plus investment allowed Julie and Mark to greatly expand their company's footprint. For instance, compared to its former location, Stride's showroom grew from 200 square feet to about 4,000 square feet today. "You can come in here and see our full selection of lift chairs, scooters and home medical equipment, like walkers, wheelchairs, grab bars, raised toilet seats, hospital beds and other aids to daily living," Mark said. Upon entering its front doors, visitors can see dozens of Stride's products lining the showroom. And, in a far corner, a dedicated space plays host to various unique spaces — a model bathroom, bedroom and kitchen — resembling what people would find in almost any house. "We want people to try out the equipment in a real-world setting, such as these mock rooms and, like test driving a car, we want you to see how you'll use this equipment in your home's main areas," Mark said. Julie and Mark also plan to create an outdoor course on the site's property. This would permit people to operate motorized equipment on various surfaces. "It's very important people can touch our equipment and see how it operates before they buy it," Mark said. "We want people to come in and get to know our products before they actually purchase them while receiving information from our knowledgeable, friendly staff." A larger space also helps with distributions purposes. More space provides for additional storage and easier flow during the shipping and receiving processes. Stride sells products and offers repair services in the Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo markets and, essentially, anywhere in between. Despite a new location, Stride intends on still providing all of its existing services. This would include employees traveling to residences for in-home repairs. Expanding the business while maintaining on-the-job offerings support Stride's core values. "We are all about making it right for our customers," said Mark, who welcomes anyone to visit his company's new location. "In a world with a lot of changing and aging, we are always about getting it right and, just as importantly, treating everyone like family."