Sarasota manufacturer acquires UK elevator company

Sarasota-based mobility company Harmar has acquired a company out of Northern Ireland. 

The manufacturer of stairlifts, wheelchair lifts and vertical lifts closed on the deal this fall with Pollock Lifts. Financial terms of the transaction, completed in late September, were not disclosed. Pollock Lifts manufactures elevators.

The acquisition was a fit for Harmar because it enables the Sarasota company to expand both geographically and in terms of its products, according to Harmar CEO Steve Dawson. 

“We were excited about getting into the UK and more broadly into Europe,” says Dawson, whose company is currently the largest distributor of mobility lifts for people with disabilities in the United States.

In addition to the geographic expansion, Dawson says the acquisition of Pollock Lifts will grow the company’s product offerings.

“This is a residential elevator primarily to be retrofitted into existing homes,” Dawson tells the Business Observer of what Pollock Lifts brings to the table. “So that was something we didn't have in our lineup."

Manufacturing of the shaftless elevators will continue to take place in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland, at three facilities, which Dawson says employ about 175 workers who make thousands of elevators a year.

The plan is for Harmar to be able to sell the elevators through its distribution network in 2025. Meanwhile, the company continues to assess opportunities for expansion.

“Harmar is continuing to look for new acquisitions in Europe,” Dawson says. “We do see expanding opportunities in Europe, both for Harmar’s existing products and for Pollock.”