The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Mentor awards grants to 2 new businesses
Relocated companies add 50-plus jobs to Newell Creek Medical Building
Mentor leaders are rolling out the red carpet for two more companies that recently came to town.
Cit y Council this week approved awarding Economic Development Grants t o businesses opening in the new 38,000-square-foot medical office building on Norton Parkway.
The Newell Creek Medical Building cost an estimated $6.36 million. It houses six medical/dental offices, and each practice was responsible for its own build-out expenses.
Two of the six tenants relocated from neighboring communities, bringing substantial new payroll and creating a combined 52 new jobs, Mentor Economic Development Director Kevin Malecek said.
Periodontal Associates, Inc., formerly of Lyndhurst, invested about $400,000 in capital improvements, created 20 new jobs in the community and expects a payroll of $650,000 this year.
The administration recommended a one-time grant of $6,000 for this company.
The other recipient was Vitreo-Retinal Consultants, Inc., of Canton. It invested about $300,000 in capital improvements, added 32 new jobs to Mentor and is expecting a payroll of more than $1 million in 2021.
The Economic Development Department recommended a one-time grant of $10,000 for this business.
“The construction of the Norton Parkway medical building, spearheaded by Dr. Jacqueline Cerar and Dr. Greg Eippert, among other l ongtime Mentor medical practices, highlights the ongoing professional development in that sector of Newell Creek,” Malecek said. “We welcome Periodontal Associates and Vitreo-Retinal Consultants as two new medical practices to our growing cluster of medical service providers in the city of Mentor.”
The rest of the new tenants relocated from within the city and are benefiting from a tax increment financing infrastructure project around the building.
“I would just like to say congratulations to Greg Eippert and the rest of the doctors in the office, and all
the staff and all the hard work that’s gone into this project that’s (been) a number of years in the making,” Councilman at large Scott J. Marn said.
The structure, at 8140 Norton Parkway, will anchor a proposed 10-acre office complex.
A grand opening was held for Macy Family Dentistry Oct. 27. Macy’s Cerar and Eippert, of Ophthalmic Physicians Inc., were the driving forces behind the project.
The remaining two tenants are Casandra Tessaro Endodontics and Apex Skin.
Mentor Planning Commission approved subdividing the site for a medical office complex in December 2018. The project, presented by Columbusbased Hplex Solutions, included a 10,000-squarefoot building and another 5,000-square-foot office as well.
No other plans have been submitted at this time.
The site was the last piece of the 380-acre former David Z. Norton estate to be purchased for development. The family announced plans to sell the estate in 1998.