Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Laerdal Medical’s Texas office celebrated the upcoming expansion of its Gatesville facility at an official groundbreaking ceremony on Dec. 5.
A rendering of the new building was unveiled at the ceremony, which will be located next to the current building at 226 FM 116. Attendees included several executives and employees from Laerdal’s North American and international offices, RQI Partners, and Gatesville city officials.
“We are truly appreciative of the investment that an international company is making in our community,” Mayor Gary Chumley said. “The long-term effects of what this is going to bring to our community are going to be unbelievable.”
The company creates medical devices and resources to help save lives, including patient simulators and training programs that are used worldwide in hospitals, universities, and military bases. The new building will become a global hub for the RQI platform, a CPR training program that equips healthcare workers to administer high-quality CPR to patients. The platform is utilized by healthcare organizations across the U.S., including Gatesville’s Coryell Memorial Hospital.
“We have a mission, which is to help save lives,” said Victor Carillo, Laerdal Medical’s manufacturing director in Gatesville. “With this mission, our corporate office has a goal for us of reaching and helping save 1 million lives per year by the year 2030.”
The products built in Gatesville are shipped to facilities around the world. Several surrounding facilities utilize Laerdal’s medical systems, including local hospitals and nursing schools, Fort Cavazos, and Central Texas colleges and universities.
The company has a long history in the Gatesville community. Founded as Medical Plastics Laboratory by Gatesville doctors in the 1950s, it was acquired in 2000 by Norway-based company Laerdal.
“For 23 years, the commitment to lead this company and this community for jobs for the citizens of Gatesville and beyond has been held true, and this expansion just shows the impact of bringing jobs to this area,” said Rosie Patterson, vice president of sales for Laerdal’s North American offices.
The new building is designed by the local construction firm K4 Construction based in Waco. It is scheduled to be completed between October and December of 2024.
“This is expansion that you don’t typically see often in small communities,” City Manager Scott Albert said. “It has been a long-term partnership since it was Medical Plastics, and Laerdal took over in 2000. That partnership continues until this day, and it means additional jobs for our community and growth. Without that strong partnership over the decades this wouldn’t be happening today.”
