Dan Delie

It all started in 1972 when I began installing hand driving controls in cars, wheelchair lifts in vans and manufacturing custom vehicle modifications for people with disabilities. Much attention was brought to this industry by the popular TV series Ironsides which aired from 1967-1975.  Actor Raymond Burr played Perry Mason, a tough San Francisco police inspector who was paralyzed in a shooting incident. His mode of transportation was a full size van with a powered wheelchair lift. Many people with disabilities searching for independence learned for the first time that this type of vehicle existed and would literally call asking for a van like Ironsides.

In 1994, one of my first opportunities with Rollx Vans was to design a powered seat base that would make transferring from a wheelchair into the front driver or passenger seat easier and safer. While having dinner with Rollx Vans founder Wade Harris, I brought with me an impressive replica of a miniature sliding seat base made out of taped together business cards. The idea became a reality and the finished product was a compact trackless design with an electronic hand held pendant.  Now thirty years later, this continues to be the number one used transfer seat base in the industry with tens of  thousands being manufactured, sold and in use today.

Minnesota is the “land of 10,000 Lakes,” so much of our free time is spent in swim suits and sandals. Summer months we spend many weekends on the lake boating and sitting around the bonfire with family and friends. I also enjoy motorcycles, photography and as a professional musician playing drums. My oldest son Kevin, also works at Rollx Vans and supervises our electrical engineering department for over twenty years.