Med supply distributor plans Millington HQ

American Medical Depot to start work on Mid-South base

The Commercial Appeal
October 11, 2007
By Amos Maki

A major distributor of medical supplies is opening a regional headquarters in Millington, bringing about 200 jobs and occupying a 50-acre site in the West Tennessee Regional Business Center.

American Purchasing Services, which does business as American Medical Depot, will break ground on the first phase -- a 120,000-square-foot warehouse/office complex that will be its Mid-South Regional headquarters -- by year end.

Another 100,000-square-foot warehouse is scheduled for construction within two years.

Company officials cited proximity to Memphis International Airport -- and the FedEx and UPS hubs -- as well as Millington Regional Jetport.

Being near the airports and hubs of the two major carriers will allow AMD to extend its service hours and cater to customers with West Coast and global delivery locations.

"We believe locating our third distribution facility in a nationally centered facility is the right move for us strategically," said AMD president Akhil Agrawal.

Mark Herbison, senior vice president for economic development at the Memphis Regional Chamber, said that while proximity to the airport and the area's central location were major factors, the company saw other benefits in Millington, home to Naval Support Activity Mid-South.

"We took them all over the (Memphis area) and when they saw Millington, because they are a big naval supplier, they liked the environment and the people," Herbison said. "They thought the workforce availability was very good and that really worked for us."

The Millington Industrial Development Board approved a seven-year payment-in-lieu-of-tax freeze.

The "bricks-and-mortar" medical and surgical supply distributor from Opa Locka, Fla., will invest $12.5 million into the project.

AMD will build on a 50-acre site north of the current terminus of Veterans Parkway, near Dakar.

AMD distributes products from 1,000 different manufacturers and has two warehouses in South Florida.

It supplies Navy bases all over the world and is a leading manufacturer of sterile, custom procedure trays and non-sterile custom kits for use in operating rooms and other medical areas.

- Amos Maki: 529-2351

American Medical Depot

American Medical Depot is investing $12.5 million in a headquarters in Millington that will create 210 jobs.

Headquarters: Opa-Locka, Fla.

President: Akhil Agrawal

Web site: american-depot.com