Marc Gardner of American Ramp Systems

There are roughly 16.3 million non- ambulatory people in the U.S., about a third of them older than 85 years old. They potentially have need for a ramp access where there is a step or a raised entry porch or an elevated threshold. By 2050, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the 85- plus population should more than triple from 5.4 million to 19 million.

Among the under- 85 crowd, occasionally there is a patient released from the hospital in a wheelchair while recuperation and therapy stays on schedule. The patient not only needs to regain access in and out of the house, but the custom construction of a wood or concrete ramp for temporary purposes takes too much time and money. And once the patient recovers, there is little need for the custom- installed ramp.

American Ramp Systems was founded in 1998 to grow with the demo- graphic trend's demands for a portable and temporary modular incline entry ramp, what became a patented device called the amRAMP system. To gain greater market share faster, a franchise arrangement was put into place.

A franchisee with American Ramp Systems for about four years, Columbia's Marc Gardner has expanded with a satellite office in Greenville, and Charleston is targeted for another. His franchise agreement allows him the entire state.

With a national network of 40 franchises serving 27 states and 42 percent of the U.S. population, American Ramp Systems saw its 2008 sales increase more than 30 percent over 2007.

The amRAMP system is basically one module, eight feet long, which can be attached and doubled without much in mechanics.

Ramps like Gardner sells and rents were used to provide wheelchair access to the stage at both the 2008 Democratic and Republican national conventions.

The U.S. Navy rented a 244- foot ramp to allow wheelchair- bound past crewmembers attend a reunion aboard the John F. Kennedy aircraft carrier.

The late quadriplegic actor Christopher Reeve rented ramps as often as three times a month as he traveled across the country for speaking engagements.

Gardner was reared in Beaufort, S.C., where his father is an auto mechanic and his mother works in child development. He went to Lady's Island Elementary School and then to Lady's Island Middle School, both close to Beaufort.

Gardner was voted "Most Likely to Succeed" by his senior classmates at Beaufort High School. He was in the National Honor Society, and he was elected president of the student body.

He came to Columbia to major in exercise science and public health at USC. After graduation, Gardner stayed for another two years to earn his master's in health care administration. While in school, he worked part- time in public health at Columbia's Richland Memorial and Baptist hospitals.

Upon finishing school, Gardner took a one- year contract with Columbia's Sunrise Enterprises to manage faith- based intervention programs targeted at dependency problems with alcohol and drugs.

For another two years, Gardner worked with USC's student health services, still attacking drug and alcohol abuse but also campaigning to prevent sexually transmitted diseases. He also fought chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.

Having disciplined himself in a personal savings program, and after a few years on the job, Gardner could pull together enough capital - well into six figures - to buy an American Ramp Systems franchise.

Four years into the modular ramp business, Gardner is still expanding to cover all of South Carolina. As he gets used to his business success, Gardner enjoys living equidistant between his two favorite travel destinations, the District of Columbia and the State of Florida.