Solantic Corp.’s decision to launch its Southeast expansion from Nashville is based on the Tennessee capital’s health care focus.
CEO Michael Klein, a seasoned Nashville-based health care company leader, took the helm of Solantic earlier this year.
He said in a statement Wednesday that Solantic, a chain of walk-in urgent medical care centers, has been working with consultants to decide its focus.
“We have been working with an extensive team of consultants who have been helping us identify several new states and markets that are prime for our service offering,” Klein said in a news release.
“We will be positioning the company to take on these new challenges,” he said.
Solantic reported that according to the Nashville Health Care Council, the 56 health care companies headquartered in Nashville generate almost 400,000 jobs and more than $62 billion in revenues worldwide.
The news release also said a survey of Health Care Council member CEOs “shows a great confidence in the market; 95 percent indicate that a Nashville headquarters location is crucial to their company’s success.”
Klein said that more than 250 health care companies and 17 publicly traded companies have operations in Nashville.
“If we are to meet our expansion goals, adding another office in the health care hub will provide the best possible opportunities to facilitate growth,” he said.
Klein and the New York-based Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe investment firm formed an ownership and management team that bought Solantic in June.
Gov. Rick Scott and Karen Bowling formed Solantic in 2001. Scott was elected last November and sold the Jacksonville-based company to the new investment team.
Bowling joined the administration of Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown as deputy chief administrative officer after Brown took office in July.
A Solantic spokeswoman said Wednesday morning that Solantic was moving its headquarters to Nashville.
“In order to continue its plans for expansion, the company has decided to move its corporate office to Nashville, TN by the end of the year,” said spokeswoman Mandy Villalva in an emailed response to questions from the Daily Record.
“We will continue to have the Jacksonville office for revenue cycle for the entire company and regional employees,” she said.
She explained the corporate revenue cycle was the billing department and that about 15 people will be affected by that.
Solantic has not said how many people are employed in the corporate functions.
Late Wednesday, Solantic issued a news release, saying it would open an additional corporate office in Nashville.
“In a continued effort to drive their overarching campaign to propel new opportunities, new growth, new jobs and new leadership, Solantic plans to position itself for its southeast expansion by opening an additional corporate office in Nashville, the health care industry’s capital,” it said.
Villalva said Solantic’s 32 centers operate throughout the entire state. A news release from Scott’s office late Wednesday said Solantic has 34 urgent care centers. They employ more than 600 people.
There are a dozen area clinics co-owned by Baptist Health and called Solantic Baptist Urgent Care.
As reported Wednesday, those Solantic Urgent Care Centers are not moving.
The release from Scott’s office, disputing a company relocation, said he was no longer associated with the company. It referred to the Solantic news release that it was expanding to Nashville by opening an additional corporate office there. It said the company’s Jacksonville corporate office and billing center remain in Florida.
The office also said Solantic’s release “gives no indication about net jobs gained or lost.”
Solantic said in its release that several new positions and people have been added to the senior management team and the field organization.
“Solantic is excited about the future, taking the positive experiences from the past 10 years and combining them with additional technology investment to meet the needs of this emerging new area of health care,” it said.