Crothall Laundry Services, a division of Crothall Healthcare, announced it has signed a build-to-suit lease for an 82,950-square-foot central laundry processing facility at Creekside Corporate Park in Oak Creek.
A spokeswoman for the Wayne, Pa.-based company said the firm expects to hire 140 employees to work at the Oak Creek site in the first year and up to 250 employees by the end of its third year in operation.
The structure, which will be built on a 5.64-acre site near Ryan Road and Interstate 94, will be developed by CenterPoint Properties.
"Crothall is excited to be investing in the Oak Creek community to build our first laundry facility from the ground up and to LEED specifications. This commitment would not be possible without the support and partnership of Aurora Health Care. We anticipate that this will be a great opportunity to share in their future success and that of the area's other great healthcare providers. This state-of-the-art facility will utilize the industry's most environmentally friendly equipment, processes, and chemicals, and will support the community by creating jobs at a time when they are most needed," said Crothall Healthcare president Steve Carpenter.
"Crothall's facility will be developed using current environmental friendly construction techniques. We are delighted to partner with them and help meet our client need for an environmentally responsible facility," says Edward Harrington, senior vice president of development at CenterPoint Properties.
Scott Furmanski, first vice president of real estate brokerage firm CBRE in Milwaukee, said, "I knew CenterPoint not only had a great site, but also the expertise and financial wherewithal to deliver to our client, Crothall Laundry Services, a state-of-the-art facility that will be among the country's most technologically advanced and environmentally advanced facilities of its sort in the United States."
Crothall Laundry Services is the second-largest health care laundry provider in the United States.

ProHealth Care announced today that it has selected Susan Edwards to succeed Ford Titus as the president and chief executive officer of the Waukesha-based company.
Titus announced earlier this year his plans to retire after 42 years of leadership with the organization.
Edwards will begin her new position September. She most recently was president of Banner Health System’s Arizona region in Phoenix, Ariz., one of the largest not-for-profit health systems in the nation.
Previously, Edwards served as both executive vice president and chief operating officer of St. John’s Health System in Detroit, Mich., and interim president and chief executive officer of the system’s St. John’s Hospital, a 600-bed tertiary facility.
“Susan Edwards is exceptionally well-qualified to succeed Ford Titus and assume the top leadership position at ProHealth Care,” said John Raasch, chairman of the ProHealth Care board of directors. “Her breadth of experience combined with a collaborate spirit and commitment to community involvement make her well suited to successfully navigate the system through the challenges facing the health care industry today and in the future.”
“Susan is a proven leader who I’m confident will continue our deep traditions of high-quality patient care, strong relationships with physicians, community partnerships, financial strength, operational excellence, and putting employees, patients and their families first,” Titus said.
Edwards also has held health care leadership roles in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ohio. She recently served as chairwoman of the American Heart Association- Phoenix chapter and on the board of directors for the Valley of the Sun United Way in Phoenix.
Edwards was born and raised in Sparta, N.C. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Emory and Henry College, a master’s degree in health administration from Duke University and a law degree from Wayne State University.

The U.S. stock market rose today after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said he expects the economy to continue growing in 2011 and is prepared to take more steps to fight off deflation if necessary.
In prepared remarks kicking off a two-day meeting of the world's top central bankers in Jackson Hole, Wyo., Bernanke said the Fed is ready to act if needed to bolster the economy.
"In particular, the (Federal Open Market) Committee is prepared to provide additional monetary accommodation through unconventional measures if it proves necessary, especially if the outlook were to deteriorate significantly," Bernanke said. "Should further action prove necessary, policy options are available to provide additional stimulus. Any deployment of these options requires a careful comparison of benefit and cost.”
Earlier this morning, a U.S. Commerce Department report showed gross domestic product, the value of all goods and services produced, rose at an annualized seasonally adjusted rate of 1.6 in April to June, which was down from the previous estimate of 2.4 percent, but above economists' expectations for 1.3 percent growth.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose more than 100 points on the news this morning.
Local stocks in the BizTimes Stock Index were led this morning by Bucyrus International Inc. (up $1.79 to $55.89), Joy Global Inc. (up $1.64 to $55.53) and Rockwell Automation Inc. (up $1.04 to $51.81).

Coating Excellence International will open a flexible packaging plant in Appleton with the help of recovery zone bonds under the federal stimulus program. The 140,000-square-foot facility will open at year's end at the site of the Wow Logistics warehouse, creating up to 56 new manufacturing jobs. The Appleton Common Council is expected to issue up to $20 million in tax-exempt bonds next month to assist the company. For more, read today’s edition of the BizTimes Wisconsin Morning Headlines bulletin.

In celebration of 10th anniversary of Kohl’s Corp.’s Kohl’s Cares program, the company announced it will award 20 schools across the country $10 million, or $500,000 each. As the contest nears its deadline, four local schools have made it to the top 100 in the contest. Read more in the new edition of the BizTimes Nonprofit Weekly.

Wisconsin’s debate over high-speed rail sprawled across the continent Thursday when a group of Republican elected officials in the state of Washington reached out to convince GOP members in the Badger State to support the project. Read more in their Milwaukee Biz Blog and join the conversation among readers by clicking here.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today gave final approval for a $42 million loan guarantee for The Moderne, a 30-story building that will be constructed at the southwest corner of Juneau Avenue and Old World Third Street in the Park East corridor in downtown Milwaukee.
A HUD spokesperson this afternoon confirmed that the loan guarantee was approved.
It will take about five to six weeks to complete the final closing of the financing for the project, so construction will probably begin in October, said Rick Barrett, the developer for The Moderne.
The $55 million building will have 203 apartments, 14 condominiums and first-floor retail space.
The $42 million loan for the project is from the AFL-CIO Investment Trust and will be guaranteed by HUD's 221(d)4 program. The project also received a $9.3 million loan from the City of Milwaukee, which was approved last year.
The approval process for the HUD loan guarantee dragged on for months. The capital markets for real estate development are extremely tight, so HUD has been swamped by developers seeking financing assistance. As a result, the approval for The Moderne’s loan guarantee was delayed. Previously, Barrett had hoped to break ground in February.
J.H. Findorff & Son Inc. is the general contractor for the project. The architect is Milwaukee-based Rinka Chung Architecture Inc.

A majority of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, including Board Chairman Lee Holloway, announced today they are in favor of constructing a new state-of-the-art mental health facility on the Milwaukee County Grounds in Wauwatosa.
“The care of individuals with mental illness is near and dear to my heart,” Holloway said. “The County Grounds is the most logical location to provide this specialized care, and I am pleased that the Board has come together for the sake of our residents who need the help most.”
 “It’s time we move forward with plans to modernize our facility. With our coalition, we are now setting a clear policy for the future of mental health care in Milwaukee County,” said Supervisor Marina Dimitrijevic, vice-chair of the board’s Health and Human Needs Committee.
Earlier this year, federal and state inspectors declared patients at the current Milwaukee County Mental Health Complex to be in "immediate jeopardy" after several sexual assaults occurred last summer at one of the Milwaukee County Mental Health Complex's four acute care wards.
The problems are leading to changes in the oversight of the department.
The resolution calls for the formation of a special committee, to be appointed by Holloway, to oversee the development of a new mental health facility.
In addition to Holloway and Dimitrijevic, the supervisors signing on to support the project include Jim Schmitt, Theodore Lipscomb, John Weishan, Lynne De Bruin, Gerry Broderick, Johnny Thomas, Chris Larson, Nikiya Harris, Willie Johnson Jr. and Mark Borkowski.
Supervisor Patricia Jursik declined to join the coalition in favor of a new facility. “I decline to join my colleagues in this premature resolution to construct a new hospital building without knowing what the care model will be. We cannot continue as we have in the past,” Jursik said.
Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker issued the following statement about the proposal: “Years ago, I introduced a plan to move the mental health complex into a new facility. I am happy that a majority of members on the County Board are now supportive of a new location for the mental health complex. In the past, I pushed for a site at the former St. Michael's Hospital location and a majority on the County Board rejected it. Now is the time to end the deadlock. I will sign a resolution that allows the county to move forward with a new location."