Mercy breaks ground on $10M center in Republic

Mercy Springfield Communities officials broke ground Wednesday a new $10 million, 100,000-square-foot center where supply management division Resource Optimization & Innovation will produce custom surgical packs.

The manufacturing center will be constructed at 3000 E. Sawyer Road in Republic with plans to open in fall 2017. Nearly 100 will work at the center, according to a news release.

“We are currently at capacity in our existing facility,” ROI Chief Operating Officer Mike Rivard said this morning. “We are continuing to expand our reach beyond Mercy and the ministry we serve to other customers.”

ROI, which was founded in 2002 to allow Mercy to buy supplies directly from manufacturers and distribute those goods to system facilities, manages over 670 different custom surgical pack designs and produces an average 520,000 annually in just 6,000 square feet at 2909 N. Neergard Ave. in Springfield. During the past five years, the company’s custom surgical pack division has grown by over 400 percent, with roughly 90 million components placed in packs to date.

ROI will continue to distribute medical supplies at its facility in Springfield and expand that business in the space being vacated by the custom surgical pack division. The company also began manufacturing intravenous therapy compounds in June, Rivard said.

“We certainly want to stay in the area to continue to support the greater Springfield area,” he said, noting the company has no local clients outside of Mercy. “As we looked at available land and opportunities, that was the location that supported our needs the best.

ROI expects to produce up to 1.5 million packs - which contain all medical supplies needed to perform a range of surgical procures - per year at the new facility, according to the release.

Rankin Development Co. is managing the project for Mercy, along with general contractor Morelock-Ross Builders Inc. and lead designer Slone Architects & Interior Designers Inc.