As the bulk of southeast Michigan's population get older, investing in healthcare seems like a pretty wise decision. With SEMCOG predicting that by 2035, aging baby boomers will land at least one 65 year old in 40 percent of Michigan's households, starting up a business based on healthcare looks even better.
That's what the Ypsilanti branch of RMS, a medical supply company opened here in early 2007, is aiming to capitalize on. The larger parent firm is making deals with companies as far as Korea and has plans to extend its reach further into the Detroit, Saginaw, Jackson and Toledo markets.
"We'll definitely be expanding within the next year or two," says Darrell Francis, center manager for RMS. "Revenue is coming in pretty steadily."
And of course it's really hard to sustain that type of business growth without growing the company payroll, too. The Ypsilanti branch has four employees now but expects to add another four or five people at each new location it opens. That could mean 20 new jobs at the minority-owned branch sooner rather than later.
"We're hoping to do that within the next year or two," Francis says.
Source: Darrell Francis, center manager for RMS
Writer: Jon Zemke
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