April 25, 2014
NORTH AUGUSTA — The curtain was lifted on Thursday to reveal a $12 million investment and the creation of 615 jobs in Aiken County, courtesy of Medac, a provider of services and products to anesthesia-related health care providers.
The partnership was brought about when the president and founder of Medac, Bijon Memar, received a call from Chris Schoen, managing principal of Greenstone Properties. The group is the one that has been currently working with the City of North Augusta for Project Jackson
“We looked over the plans, and I said that this is gorgeous,” Memar said. “With the ballpark, the restaurants and the shops all within walking distance for the employees to go places.”
Will Williams, Economic Development Partnership director, said the engagement between the City and Medac started in January. Now, toward the end of April, the deal, code-named Project Slumber, has been struck.
Memar said Medac is committed to the City of North Augusta after all the work that has been put in to help make the dream that he and his late brother had for his company a reality.
“We’re very excited to be here … We will do everything possible to bring the jobs here, and I think our employees are all looking forward to it and moving to this area,” he said.
Medac’s current location is 804 Scott Nixon Memorial Drive in Augusta.
Medac’s new location will be located directly across the street from the North Augusta Municipal Building, and employees will have the ability to walk down the hill to eat at restaurants, shop retail or live in apartments.
Glover said the City believes Medac could very easily grow beyond what it is bringing in at the start.
“I think it is going to have a huge impact to our downtown,” Glover said. “It could transform our downtown as to what types of amenities are available, as far as restaurants and things of that nature.”
North Augusta Mayor Lark Jones concluded by saying all involved appreciate Memar for choosing North Augusta as the location for Medac’s corporate headquarters.
“I think most of you have figured out that Medac will be the largest single, private-sector employer in the City of North Augusta when this project comes to fruition,” he said. “ … As we went through the TIF project for Project Jackson, we felt very confidently that there will be what I call a ‘trickle over effect’ from this project. This is exactly what has happened. This project is exactly what the City and North Augusta 2000 envisioned a number of years ago when this property was assembled over here to go as a partner to the municipal center.”