How the Armagh ‘man you went to when you had a problem’ created a mobility vehicle enterprise
Polio was rife and agricultural accidents were sadly commonplace. People then came to Tommy John when they needed an adaption of some sort to help them drive a car or tractor... and this was the seed that today’s business first grew from
Established in 1950 by the "man you went to when you had a problem", McElmeel Mobility continues to further the legacy of its founder from the heart of Armagh city, 75 years on.
Having served his time working locally in farming and engineering, company founder, Tommy John McElmeel had become the county's 'go to' for when you needed something fixed.
Little did he know that by opening TJ McElmeel's in 1950, he had set the foundations for the business which has become the longest establish convertor and adaptor of vehicles for disabled drivers and passengers in Europe... and possibly in the world.
Tommy John was well known locally, not least because of his athletic prowess and his ability to throw his hand to anything mechanical.
In his early 20s, he was the first person to win the Ulster Cross Country Championship three years in a row and it was this circle of competitive friends that pushed him to apply for a tractor... something very significant at that t...
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