New MobilityWorks CEO emphasizes customers, technology

RICHFIELD, Ohio - For Bryan Everett, the new CEO of MobilityWorks, everything is personal. At his previous positions at Rite Aid and Target, his passion was the customer experience. At MobilityWorks, it's that, too, plus a mother who has MS and who will likely need a wheelchair and an accessible vehicle at some point. Here's what Everett had to say about what drew him to MobilityWorks after many years working in retail and health care for big companies, and what could be in store for MobilityWorks under his leadership.

HME News: What was it about MobilityWorks and the industry that you found appealing?

Bryan Everett: I think the purpose-driven nature of the company and the industry was appealing to me. My mom has MS and she's not in a wheelchair full-time but she will be someday. So just becoming more familiar with the purpose of MobilityWorks and the industry was really compelling to me. What I really liked about Rite Aid was helping so many people and MobilityWorks helps tens of thousands of people have access to accessible vehicles so they can participate in weddings and graduation parties that they otherwise wouldn't be able to. That's No. 1.

HME: Is there a No. 2? A No. 3?

Everett: No. 2 was the growth opportunity. I've worked in retail where it's been about consolidating stores and getting smaller, and here's a company where's there's opportunity to grow and scale the business. No. 3 is working for a smaller company. MobilityWorks is a big company but it's small enough that it has room to become more sophisticated in how it operates.

HME: How do you plan to grow the company and make it more sophisticated?

Everett: The company has been successful, so continuing strategic acquisitions, continuing organic growth, continuing the good work that's been happening. This is not a turnaround assignment. How do we strengthen our position? We explore adjacent markets. We embrace technology and innovation. We protect the brand. Every interaction a consumer has with us - we have to be in a position to, when we have hiccups or shortfalls, turn those into positive interactions.

HME: Where could MobilityWorks better embrace technology?

Everett: How do we use the data we have? How do we make sure we have the right vehicles at the right place at the right location? If you're more successful selling certain models and styles at a store in Florida, let's use that data and be more sophisticated about how we allocate our inventory. Also, more and more people are starting their search for a vehicle on their phone or laptop, so having a seamless digital experience from the beginning is critical.