Young Ones To Watch: Justin Gordon, Chief Operating Officer of Amramp

Justin Gordon is the COO of Amramp, a franchise dedicated to making life accessible for everyone. Founded in 1998 by Julian Gordon, Amramp has become one of the nation’s leading providers of modular wheelchair ramps, stairlifts, vertical platform lifts and other accessibility solutions. Since then, the brand has grown to feature 45 locations throughout the United States and Canada. With each wheelchair ramp, stairlift or other product installed, Amramp changes someone’s life.

1851: What initially drew you to franchising?  

Gordon: Amramp is a family business—my father, Julian Gordon, founded the company 21 years ago. After graduating from college, I spent some time in the pharmaceutical industry. Franchising appealed to me because of the scalability and room to grow with the company. I literally grew up with Amramp. I started as a ramp installer before spending some time in the factory for about a year and a half. From there, I slowly worked my way up to a management and sales position and started selling our commercial complex products and gaining more operational experience. Today, I help run the company as COO, overseeing our entire franchise system. We’ve built an incredible leadership team at Amramp, as well as an amazing team of franchisees. 

The franchising industry is amazing because it allows great people to come together and build something special. It is a mutual system—we support our franchise partners and in return, they are dependable and help grow the company.

1851: Where do you see the most opportunity in franchising and why are you excited about the future of the industry? 

Gordon: The biggest opportunity presented by the franchising industry is the ability to provide exceptional customer service through one unified message and program. Everyone at Amramp is representing the brand together, including the corporate team, franchisees, management and employees. By creating a unified team and service, the company is able to reach its full potential and customers come to see the brand at its best. 

1851: What advice do you have for other young up-and-comers in the space?

Gordon: My main advice would be to learn absolutely everything about the specific business model and study it from top to bottom. The more familiar one is with the concept and the franchising opportunity, the better they will be at driving innovation and efficiency. 

 1851: What advice would you give your younger self? 

Gordon: Be patient and remember that change and success take time. Don’t give up, and always stick with what you believe. Your future self will thank you for being patient.

1851: Who is someone you look to for inspiration?

Gordon: Certainly, my father has been a huge inspiration throughout my life. I was also mentored by Amramp’s former COO before taking the position. Personally, I train in martial arts and my sensei—who is a CEO and entrepreneur himself—has been an amazing mentor as well.