After a site search that included 60 cities across the U.S., global healthcare services company Owens & Minor will make a multi-year, multi-million dollar investment to establish a new Client Engagement Center (CEC) in downtown Richmond, VA. Owens & Minor’s CEC will occupy approximately 90,000 square feet at Riverfront Plaza. The state-of-the-art facility will house approximately 500 employees, including the addition of 300 newly created positions.
“Virginia has been the home of Owens & Minor for 135 years, and we are very pleased to expand our presence in Richmond with this new initiative. This project will support our plan to build the most efficient and intelligent route to market for healthcare products and supplies,” said Cody Phipps, President & Chief Executive Officer of Owens & Minor. “The downtown Client Engagement Center will support standardization and enhanced service to our nationwide customers, who are asking for our assistance in adapting to a changing healthcare market. The CEC will provide a scalable platform for future growth, as well as higher levels of service to our customers. We thank the City of Richmond and the Commonwealth for their help in bringing this initiative to life.”
Owens & Minor has evolved into a global healthcare services company serving the needs of healthcare providers and healthcare product manufacturers across the U.S. and Europe with strategically placed networks of distribution and logistics centers. The CEC, designed to be an innovative place to work, will enable Owens & Minor to enhance and standardize the customer experience. With more than 8,000 employees located across the U.S., Europe, and in Asia, Owens & Minor has a well-defined culture and a reputation for commitment to its customers, communities, and employees. The company was founded in 1882 in Richmond and has been headquartered in the area ever since.
“This announcement is an outstanding example of our continuing work building a new Virginia economy,” said Gov. Terry McAuliffe. “Stimulating growth in economic sectors that are not as reliant on federal spending helps diversify our economy and offset the impacts of defense cuts and sequestration. I thank Owens & Minor for its continued presence in Hanover County and the Williamsburg area, and congratulate the company on its decision to grow here in Richmond.”
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the City of Richmond and the Greater Richmond Partnership to secure the project. Gov. McAuliffe approved a $1.5 million grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist the city with the project. The company is eligible to receive state benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Funding and services to support the company’s employee training activities will be provided through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.
“Owens & Minor has been a leader in the healthcare sector for more than a century, and is an exemplary Virginia success story,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Todd Haymore. “The commonwealth’s healthcare industry employs nearly 400,000 people, and the company is a valued employer that contributes to that growing number. The success of global businesses like Owens & Minor is the strongest testament to what can be achieved in Virginia, and we look forward to further strengthening our partnership.”
“I am so pleased that Owens & Minor has chosen the City of Richmond as the location for its Client Engagement Center,” said Mayor Levar M. Stoney. “Their decision is a testimony to their confidence in the quality of our local workforce and commitment to the region. We welcome this industry leader to the city with open arms and look forward to the vitality they will bring to the downtown community. The city’s Office of Community Wealth Building and Workforce Development will be working closely with Owens & Minor to develop training programs for the new jobs created by the company.”
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