Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE: FMS), the largest provider of dialysis products and services, joined Cobb County and Cobb Chamber economic development officials to announce the opening of its new Peachtree Billing and Verification Office, located at 2015 Vaughn Road in Kennesaw, Ga.
The expansion will provide billing and insurance verification services for the company’s dialysis services operations in the Southeast. Initially opening with 75 to 80 employees, the new center is anticipated to later house nearly 120 employees.
“We are excited to expand our footprint in Cobb County and the opportunity to assemble a talented team focused on providing the highest quality service and support to our patients,” said Bill Crawford, Vice President of Finance for the company’s East Division.
Fresenius Medical Care operates two corporate offices in Cobb County totaling 260 employees and four clinic locations in Austell, Marietta and Smyrna. The company plans to open a new clinic in Acworth early in the second quarter of 2012.
“Georgia has outstanding resources to help health care companies like Fresenius grow,” said Chris Cummiskey, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “The research and skilled talent coming out of our universities are a major component of our success in this field.”
The jobs announcement was made during Cobb County Commission Chairman Tim Lee’s annual State of the County Address at the Cobb Chamber’s First Monday Breakfast event.
“Having a company like Fresenius expand their operations in our community really demonstrates that Cobb is the right place to grow business,” said Lee. “With low taxes, solid infrastructure and a wonderful quality of life, Cobb is always the right choice.”
Cobb County has proven to be an attractive destination for the health care and professional and business services industries. The Cobb’s Competitive EDGE (Economic Development for a Growing Economy), a game-changing economic development initiative led by the Cobb Chamber and its community partners, has identified four core cluster economic development industry targets.
The Fresenius Medical Care expansion represents a targeted segment of two industry targets—health care and professional and business services. One of the goals of the initiative is to build stronger programs to help existing companies to continue to grow and prosper. In 2011, the Cobb Chamber reported 26 major relocations and expansions, 3,093 new jobs and $248 million in new investments.
The project was worked alongside key partners including Carol Henderson with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Brenda Robbins with the Georgia Power Company and Cobb County leadership.
“Fresenius is the type of company that we not only want to recruit into our community but the type of company we want to see thrive and expand,” said Brooks Mathis, Vice President of Economic Development for the Cobb Chamber. “It is extremely exciting to see their corporate presence grow in Cobb County with the creation of 120 new jobs for our citizens.”
About Fresenius Medical Care
Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE: FMS) is the world’s leading company devoted to patient-oriented renal therapy. Through nearly 2,900 clinics in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Africa, we provide kidney dialysis treatments to approximately 228,000 patients worldwide. We are also the world’s leading maker of dialysis products such as hemodialysis machines, dialyzers and related disposable products. Chronic kidney failure is a condition that affects about 2 million individuals worldwide. For more information about the company’s more than 1,800 U.S. dialysis facilities, visit www.ultracare-dialysis.com (in English and Spanish).
For more information about Fresenius Medical Care,visit www.fmc-ag.com or www.fmcna.com.
About the Cobb Chamber
As one of the most influential business advocacy organizations in Georgia, the Cobb Chamber is the only organization in Cobb County dedicated to bringing the community and its leaders together to create jobs and strengthen the economy and quality of life so businesses and the community can achieve more. The Chamber achieves this by creating jobs and driving economic development; strengthening the community and the region; growing member businesses and nurturing leadership; and connecting businesses, government and the community