Success Story
The Standing Company
As the Saginaw-based standing wheelchair manufacturer faced supply chain delays, the MEDC’s Supply Chain Resiliency Team helped the company secure connections with local suppliers
Based in Saginaw, The Standing Company has been manufacturing standing wheelchairs for over 30 years, serving customers across the United States. As the country’s only manufacturer of a manual and half-power standing wheelchair, The Standing Company delivers customized products that help improve the quality of life and overall health of its users, including working alongside the VA to help veterans receive wheelchair benefits.
In October 2022, The Standing Company faced a critical supply chain roadblock: two of their primary chromoly steel suppliers in California and Georgia couldn’t deliver their product until March or April 2023. Chromoly steel is a critical component of the company’s standing wheelchairs; with delays in the supply chain, the company could not complete and deliver existing wheelchair orders, threatening the company’s future.
Unaware of other chromoly steel suppliers, president of The Standing Company Raymond Maczik reached out his longtime contact at Saginaw Future, PTAC Director Delena Spates-Allen, for guidance. Spates-Allen put Maczik in touch with Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) Business Development Manager Brenda Flory, who connected The Standing Company with the MEDC's Supply Chain Resiliency Team (formerly known as Pure Michigan Business Connect); by leveraging its extensive database, PMBC identified Michigan-based suppliers of chromoly steel and facilitated a connection to Boyer Steel in Warren.
Securing a steady, reasonably priced supply of chromoly from Boyer Steel allowed The Standing Company to fulfill its existing orders and continue to serve its extensive customer base across the country, thanks to connections made by the MEDC and its partners.
“We are very impressed with the creativity and ingenuity in helping The Standing Company,” said Maczik. “Finding and receiving this chromoly steel order is a tremendous stress reducer, especially since we thought we were at a dead end. It is a lesson to all of us that we need to not simply take ‘no’ for an immediate answer. We need to make use of manufacturing and industry friends with far more expertise based on a wider global view than we have in our own little world. Thanks to the MEDC for helping The Standing Company continue to produce the finest standing wheelchair in the world: The SuperStand Standing Wheelchair.”
Over the years, the MEDC has continued to provide support to The Standing Company, partnering with the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (MMTC) on five supplier searches and making connections to alleviate supply chain pain points. In May 2025, Maczik reached out to the Supply Chain Resiliency team to begin a supplier search for footplates for its standing wheelchair.
With help from Rebekah McCarter, MMTC’s lead supplier scout, plastic fabrication company Innovative Engineering in Lansing was recommended and introduced to The Standing Company in June 2025. As of January 2026, The Standing Company is sourcing its footplates from Innovative Engineering, creating another link in the Michigan manufacturing supply chain.
“Jordan Bourdeau and his expert design team solved our SuperStand Standing Wheelchair footplate issues,” said Maczik. “The folks at Innovative Engineering were courteous, detail-minded and easy to work with. Most importantly: the finished footplates they delivered seem to be ideal for the SuperStand Standing Wheelchair. If any other Michigan based companies are looking for services offered by Innovative Engineering, I strongly encourage you to urge them to contact Jordan."