Medac to bring 300 jobs to Lincoln County

A groundbreaking ceremony was held Friday, November 3, for Medac, the Lincoln County Industrial Park's newest tenant. The Augusta-based anesthesia billing company plans to start training its workforce by the end of the year. Pictured at the industrial park are John Memar, president of Medac, and Governor Sonny Perdue.

The news could not be any better for Lincoln County.

Medac, an anesthesia billing company, will invest $2 million and create 300 jobs in three years in Lincoln County.

The announcement was made by Governor Sonny Perdue during a special groundbreaking ceremony held Friday, November 3, at the Lincoln County Industrial Park on Old Petersburg Road. The occasion marked the governor's second visit to Lincolnton in two months.

Approximately 300 people were in attendance including State Representative Barry Fleming; Jennifer Hayes, representing Senator Saxby Chambliss' office; Nancy Bobbitt, representing Senator Johnny Isakson's office; Terry Elam, president of Augusta Technical College.

Andy Crosson, executive director of the CSRA Regional Development Center (RDC); Wendy Bibb, regional project manager for the Georgia Department of Economic Development

Governor Sonny Perdue visited Lincolnton on Friday, November 3, to announce that Medac, an anesthesia billing company, will be bringing 300 jobs to Lincoln County. Pictured at the groundbreaking ceremony are: (l-r) Congressman Charlie Norwood; State Senator Jim Whitehead; John Memar, president of Medac; Walker Norman, chairman of the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners; and Governor Perdue.

(GDEcD); Jeannie Buttrum, GDEcD regional tourism representative.

Dwaine Biggerstaff, mayor of the City of Lincolnton; Dr. Randall Edmunds, superintendent of Lincoln County Schools; Dr. Alcye Hawes, Lincoln County commissioner; Amanda Gay, Miss Lincoln County; and Brittany Perkins, Junior Miss Lincoln County.

Those seated on the dais with Governor Perdue were Congressman Charlie Norwood; State Senator Jim Whitehead; Lincoln County Commission Chairman Walker Norman; and John Memar, president of Medac.

Following a performance by the LCHS Red Devil Pride Band, George Leverett III, chairman of the Lincoln County Development Authority, welcomed Governor Perdue, first lady Mary Perdue, and the representatives of Medac to Lincoln County.

"We were competing with about 15 counties when we went into this," Leverett stated. "The governments of Lincoln County and the City of Lincolnton were a big help to us during the recruiting process.

"It's always a pleasure to welcome a quality company like Medac to Lincoln County," the chairman continued. "We join the community in looking forward to a long and profitable relationship. This is a great occasion."

Lincoln Commission Chairman Walker Norman was next on the program.

After recognizing the special guests in the audience, the chairman said, "This is a very historic day for Lincoln County. This is the largest number of jobs ever procured for this county, and it was definitely a team effort."

He went on to say, "Lincoln County's brightest days lie ahead. Lincoln County is on the threshold of change whether we like it or not - I don't think we'll even know our county 10 years from now. Our population is increasing - people have found out what most of us have known for generations. They are coming and we welcome them."

In other remarks, Chairman Norman thanked Governor Perdue for the leadership he has provided the state and the southeastern part of the country over the last four years. He also thanked the governor for his commitment and the commitment of his administration to the economic development of rural Georgia.

Norman received a round of applause for his last comment.

In conclusion, the chairman recited a line from a Dottie Rambo song: "Defeat is a word I don't use because we have too much to gain to lose."

"Between the county, the city, the development authority, and regional, state, and federal officials, we have not taken defeat easily," he stated. "If we had, the industrial park would have folded 20 years ago. Lincoln County has too much to lose in this area."

During the ceremony, Chairman Norman took a moment to recognize Alana Burke, executive director of the Lincoln County Development Authority, for her hard work and dedication. "Mrs. Burke spends many hours working for the development of the county - these things don't happen overnight," he stated. "The seeds have been planted and now they are bearing fruit. Mrs. Burke, we appreciate you and all you do to help the people of Lincoln County."

Burke was rewarded with a round of applause from those present.

Following Chairman Norman on the program was John Memar, president of Medac.

"In 1992, my brother started this dream with eight employees in his home in Augusta - he died eight years ago," said Memar. "Medac would not be the premier anesthesia billing company in the nation without the vision and hard work of my brother, Kam. Therefore, I would like to dedicate this new building to the memory of my brother."

In other comments, he thanked all those who helped make the expansion project possible. The list included Governor Perdue, the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the Georgia Department of Labor, the Lincolnton-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce, Augusta Tech, and Lincoln County officials.

"It has been a pleasure working with the people of Lincolnton and Lincoln County," Memar stated. "The expansion into Lincoln County is very exciting for all of us, and it is my goal to continue to grow the company and provide jobs for people in the state of Georgia. Thank-you all for this great opportunity - we are looking forward to our future together."

Memar added that within the next six months, he plans to bring back approximately 100 jobs from overseas.

The next speaker was Congressman Charlie Norwood who simply

said, "If what has happened in Lincoln County in the last 10 years continues to happen in the next 10 years, Lincoln County won't be the same place."

Following the congressman was State Senator Jim Whitehead.

Referring to Governor Perdue, the senator said, "If you ask him a question, you will get an answer. He will tell you what he believes and what he stands for. I don't know anybody who works harder than he does. He's going to make a better Georgia - he believes in what he does."

Next on the program was Governor Perdue.

"It's good to be in Lincoln County - go Red Devils!" stated the governor, drawing a standing ovation from the crowd.

"You have a great development authority with a vision of what can be," he continued. "I'm also proud of our state economic development team. In the last four years, Georgia has created 250,000 jobs, most of which are outside the Metro Atlanta area."

Speaking directly to Memar, the governor said, "Three-hundred jobs for Lincoln County is a big deal. John, thank-you for creating these jobs and for trusting these folks. You won't be disappointed."

Commenting on what a company like Medac means to Lincoln County, Governor Perdue said, "Medac means that your grandchildren won't have to leave the community to find a job. That's down where the goats can find it.

"Thank-you, the leaders of Lincoln County, for having the vision and for investing in your community to make it a place where business can be done. Today, we celebrate Medac, Lincoln County, and moving Georgia forward."

The final speaker was Development Authority Director Alana Burke, who expressed her appreciation to the Governor and Mrs. Perdue for attending the ceremony and stated that where economic development is concerned, Governor Perdue "doesn't just talk the talk, but walks the walk as well."

At the conclusion of the program, representatives of Medac along with state and local officials broke ground for the new billing facility.

In an interview with The Lincoln Journal held prior to the ceremony, John Memar said, "We feel this location is great for us. Our home office is in Augusta, just 40 miles away.

"Quite honestly, Alana Burke and the people of Lincolnton have drawn us here. We feel like we're part of your family. We have met with several other counties, but this was the only area where we felt everybody was willing and anxious to work with us on our own schedule.

"Lincolnton is a fine area. It's beautiful and has exactly the type of people we're looking for. We want to make Lincoln County the capital of the medical billing industry in the United States."

Following the ceremony, Director Burke noted that Medac and the development authority are currently fine-tuning the process by which job applications will be submitted to the company. Interested parties are urged to watch subsequent issues of The Lincoln Journal for further details.

Memar hopes to begin training employees by the first of the year, with an eye toward having the facility operational by April of 2007. The staff at Augusta Tech will conduct the training through the state's Quick Start incentive program for new and expanding businesses.

As for the details of Medac's agreement with Lincoln County, the development authority will provide the land, build a 20,000 to 40,000- square-foot building for the company at the industrial park, and assist with securing a workforce. Medac representatives will then sign a long-term lease with the development authority which will cover all costs associated with building the new facility.

In further remarks, Burke echoed Governor Perdue's sentiments, saying, "I feel that the types of jobs offered by Medac will bring our workforce back to Lincolnton. Medac is a leader in medical billing technology - it's a wonderful company. Lincoln County is very blessed to have a company like this locate in a small, rural community like ours. Mr. Memar is really stepping outside the box, and I hope the people of Lincoln County will support him."

Over the course of 14 years, Medac has revolutionized the billing industry, using Georgia as its base. The company currently has more than 400 employees in 23 states.

The business was founded by the Memar brothers to fill a void in the medical industry, specifically, billing and management services for anesthesiologists. As sons of a physician with experience in the industry, the Memars understood the complexities of running a physician's practice and the additional challenges facing hospital based physicians.

The brothers built the company from the ground up in Augusta, a located chosen for its thriving medical community and access to a trained, stable workforce.

Although it started as a billing service, Medac has emerged as a leader in technology, regulatory compliance, managed care contracting, and practice management for anesthesia practices.

The need was clear. Anesthesiologists needed better technology than what was available in order to manage their practices more efficiently. With that in mind, the proprietary KAM2000 software was developed.

With this new, state-of-the-art technology, Medac was the first billing service in the nation to provide its clients with:

Unlimited real-time Internet access to account data, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

On-line patient access for insurance verification/credit card payments, 24 hours a day/seven days a week.

Over 1,000 customized reports in multiple formats in order to track reimbursements via the Internet.

Ad-hoc reporting capability.

While the medical industry has faced many challenges as well as twists and turns, Medac has been at the forefront of these changes, helping its clients navigate through the difficult times.

Medac has grown its business by focusing continually on re-investment in its systems and employees. The company is proud of its position as a pioneer in the industry.

For additional information about Medac, visit the company's website at .