With a full-time job he loves, a thriving family life, and a part-time gig as an adjunct professor, Jarom Hlebasko is a busy man. Hlebasko, a C5 quadriplegic, wasn’t looking to take on any more responsibilities, but when he found his ability to continue living his active life threatened, he decided adding one more responsibility was better than being stuck at home in bed. 

In 2018, after years of battling pressure sores and five flap surgeries, Hlebasko’s plastic surgeon told him the thing all wheelchair users dread hearing: “You’ve got to be really careful because there’s not much else I can do.” 

Hlebasko had been doing his best to be careful since he was paralyzed 18 years earlier, but he had found no solutions that protected his bony frame from developing more wounds. “I was praying for a miracle,” he says. 

He found that miracle online in a pressure-offloading cushion made by a company named Aquila Corporation. The SofTech Cushion allowed his skin to heal and stay healthy even as he resumed his active life, working full-time, and raising three daughters.  

Five years of wound-free living later, Hlebasko reached out to Aquila about buying a new cushion to replace the well-worn one he relied on. No one responded. He tried again. Still no response. 

“Finally, I reached out one more time,” he says. “I still remember, I wrote in all caps, PLEASE RESPOND TO ME AND LET ME KNOW IF YOU’RE THERE OR NOT.”  

His desperate plea finally got a response. The owners informed him they had decided to retire and had shuttered the business. 

Unwilling to consider a future without the cushion that had changed his life, Hlebasko kept brainstorming. “I had the craziest thought in my mind… would they be willing to sell the company?” he says. 

Hlebasko and his brother, Jacob, submitted a purchase proposal, and, after a few months of negotiations, they agreed on terms in March 2025. By May, the Hlebasko brothers had taken ownership of the existing product, launched a new website, and reopened the business. 

“It’s been super hard because the company was closed down for about six months, and everyone in the world thought they weren’t around anymore and started to look elsewhere,” he says. “To this day, we’re having to explain what happened and assure people we are up and running and are here for the long haul.”  

With full-time jobs and full family lives, both brothers have to make time to handle the multitude of responsibilities that come with owning and running a high-tech manufacturing company, but they wouldn’t have it any other way. “From the beginning, what was important to us was that someone would continue to make this product so others can find relief just like I did,” says Jarom. “That’s all that really matters.” 

Thanks to his Aquila SofTech Cushion, Hlebasko is able to work long hours and wear all his hats, including his day job as the GIS Service Center Manager for Sunrise Engineering.  

“GIS work is all about mapping information and making it ‘smart,’” he says. “Problem solving for clients is a lot of fun. I get to tackle diverse problems, and I love getting people engaged with what we build for them.” 

Here’s what his typical workday looks like. 

Day in the Life

7AM

Our house starts rumbling a little before 7, with my three girls waking up and getting ready for school.  My wife helps me get dressed and transferred into my wheelchair, and then we have a quick family breakfast before my wife and I head to work and my kids go to school. 

7:55AM

My office is just over a mile from my home, a quick trip in my van.

8AM 

With three screens, a large trackball mouse and a macro keyboard, my office is set up to maximize my productivity. I’m lucky to have great coworkers who understand my situation and my needs. If I need some water or assistance, it’s easy to ask for help. 

10AM 

I oversee 38 employees as the GIS Service Center Manager for Sunrise Engineering, so there’s plenty to keep me busy. Projects come and go daily. 

12PM 

My wife works as an administrator in my office, so she usually comes by and helps heat up lunch. Having her on site is a blessing, in addition to being convenient and helpful. 

1PM 

The projects we work on are all over the place. One day I can be working on mosquito abatement, and the next I’m looking at hydrant locations. Yes, without proper Mosquito Management through mapping, we would all be in big trouble! 

4:30PM

Two days a week I leave the office early to coach my youngest daughter’s soccer team. Soccer has always been a passion of mine and I love teaching kids. We’re in the desert where it’s pretty dry and hard, so I can wheel around with them, but I do have assistant coaches who can do the visual instruction and the heavy lifting. 

6PM 

I generally try to get in 4-6 hours a day working on Aquila Corporation. While my brother handles repairs and construction, I focus on client relationships, quotes, invoicing and the administrative side of things. 

8PM 

Between all our busy schedules, it’s pretty late in the day before we eat dinner.  

9PM 

We try to find family time whenever we can, often at my girls’ sporting events, and we’re always up for a card game before bedtime. Sundays are really nice being together all day and Saturdays are usually full of adventure 

11PM

Bedtime. After everything I’ve been through with pressure sores, I do a thorough skin check with my wife and make sure I’m positioned properly on my alternating mattress for a good night’s sleep with no skin problems.