Largest medical supplier in the US will build a $65 million facility in Orange County
This story was updated at 2:50 p.m. on December 13, 2019.
The largest private medical supply manufacturer and distributor in the nation is planning to bring hundreds of full-time jobs to Orange County during a year of large companies bringing business there.
After receiving $4.3 million in local and state incentives in September to select western Orange County as a site for a distribution center, Medline Industries Inc. is building a $65.3 million facility in Mebane south of I-85 and I-40.
Medline purchased the 220-acre site for $8.1 million. The facility will be built on West Ten Road between Gravely Hill Middle School and the Buckhorn Flea Market.
Medline told The News & Observer previously that the center could be operational by the end of 2021.
According to the incentives’ criteria, Medline needs to meet annual goals for five years to earn the incentives, including the immediate creation of 250 full-time jobs at an average salary of $35,468 a year, The N&O reported.
Employees can earn bonuses and are eligible for college reimbursement, growth and training programs, Medline said. Medline eventually expects up to hire 600 employees there.
Medline’s vice president of real estate told Site Selection magazine in 2017 that their site selection follows “a very specific logistics criteria” — within one or two miles of major arteries and a 10- to 30-mile radius to target customers.
“Medline is a quality company that takes a unique and personal approach to the way it manufactures and distributes medical supplies. It likes to have room for its suppliers to be close by, and it needs to be able to respond quickly to the needs of its customers,” said Mark O’Neal of Pickett Sprouse Commercial Real Estate, who brokered the sale. “Pickett Sprouse is proud to have played a role in helping Medline find a site that fits its needs so well in addition to helping bring another large business to Orange County.”
To land the deal, the Mebane City Council offered $803,000 in cash and other incentives, and annexed 175.9 acres for the Medline site. The Orange County of Board of Commissioners approved a $1.84 million tax incentive and the state offered around $1.7 million.
Earlier this month, Medline filed a rezoning request for around 48 acres of their purchased land to allow for different development of the facility. According to the Mebane city council, the properties will require annexation in order for the city to approve the rezoning, since it is outside of the city’s development plan guidelines and the incentive package.
Other large companies have also announced plans to open facilities in Orange County. Health tech comapny Well. Dot announced last month it would bring 400 jobs after picking Chapel Hill over Boston. In June, Swiss company ABB announced it would expand operations in Mebane adding 400 jobs as well.
News & Observer staff writer Tammy Grubb contributed to this story.
This story was originally published December 13, 2019 at 8:30 AM.
