Complete Medical Supplies, a national wholesaler for medical and pharmaceutical supply companies based in Valley Cottage, near the Tappan Zee Bridge, has been growing at the fast clip of 20 percent a year. That means it needs more warehouse space. After searching for seven years, the company finally found the right match: a 20,000-square-foot facility in Wallkill.
Originally, Complete Medical Supplies had hoped to find a space in Rockland County, closer to its headquarters, but “there”™s a very limited supply of warehouses in Rockland County,” said company President Seth Klein.
The Orange County warehouse, which has high ceilings ”“ a prerequisite ”“triples Complete Medical Supplies”™ storage space. The company is investing $4.5 million in getting the building up to speed, including installation of a heating system and offices and purchasing new equipment. Over the next three years, it plans to hire 17 employees, in addition to its current staff of 51.
That qualified the company for a $175,000 grant from the Empire State Development Corp. (ESDC), which was announced by the state organization a month ago. ESDC “is helping subsidize our set up,” said Klein, who had been approaching both Orange County and the state for help. Though it involved a “tremendous amount of paperwork,” Klein said “the process was remarkably easy from start to finish.” The company occupied the warehouse last August.
Klein said 33 of the company”™s employees are based in house and the remainder is on the road. The company has been growing thanks to changing demographics ”“ the population is getting older ”“ as well as its special niche: It sells individual items to suppliers, eliminating the need for them to buy by the case. The company also specializes in rare products, saving its clients the inconvenience of calling 20 different suppliers. “We are a one-stop shop for both popular items and the hard to find,” said Klein. He said the catalog”™s 10,000 products include everything from home health care to emergency to physical therapy products.
Obviously, buying in bulk and being able to provide any kind of item a client requests requires lots of warehouse space. “Many distributors are only concerned about the turns in their inventory, and because harder-to-find products don”™t turn as fast,” they”™re not interested in the type of service Complete Medical provides, Klein said.
He said the company offers clients same-day shipping to anywhere in the country. “It”™s a juggling act. That”™s the nature of our business.”
Klein said the company is continuing to seek other grants. It is also considering installing efficient lighting and plans to approach the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority about possible incentives.
