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Owens & Minor to open downtown center, hire 300 new workers

Posted at 2:45 PM, Feb 16, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-16 14:48:24-05

RICHMOND, Va. — Owens & Minor is about to have a much larger presence in Richmond. The Hanover-based medical supply distributor announced Thursday it planned to establish a new Client Engagement Center at Riverfront Plaza in downtown Richmond.

To help fill the new office space, the Fortune 500 company would hire 300 new workers.

“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,” Cody Phipps, President & Chief Executive Officer of Owens & Minor, said in a statement. “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.”

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe said Richmond competed with 60 other cities for the new Owens & Minor center.

A $1.5 million grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund, approved by the governor, helped secure this project for downtown Richmond. As such, 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, according to the governor’s office.

“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,” Governor McAuliffe said. “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.”

Founded in Richmond 1882, Owens & Minor employs more than 8,000 people worldwide.

“I am so pleased that Owens & Minor has chosen the City of Richmond,” Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney said. “Their decision is a testimony to their confidence in the quality of our local workforce and commitment to the region.”

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