Connect America establishing operations in Greenville County

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Connect America, a company that provides products and services in digital health and monitoring, is investing about $1 million in a Fountain Inn property that will serve as a fulfillment center, creating 71 new jobs.

Located in 25,000 square feet at 110 Southchase Blvd. in Fountain Inn, Connect America’s new $935,000 facility will increase the company’s operating and shipping capabilities to meet growing national demand, according to a news release from Greenville Area Development Corp. The space is expandable as demand requires.

Founded in 2004, Connect America is the parent company of Medical Alert. Together, the companies are leading providers of personal emergency response systems such as LifeLine, which instantly connects users with a response coordinator who assesses possible medical situations and sends assistance if necessary.

“The Connect America family of companies and the LifeLine division are very excited to consolidate fulfillment operations from disparate parts of the U.S. into our new Fountain Inn, S.C., facility,” Connect America-LifeLine COO John Brady said in the news release. “The opportunity to work with the Greenville Area Development Corp. and the ReadySC team to quickly hire and train a new staff was one of the determining factors in our choice to pick the Upstate area to move to. We look forward to building on our lifesaving mission through the expansion of our business in this new facility.”

Connect America and its family of brands, including Lifeline, work to help aging individuals and at-risk populations live safely and independently in their homes. As North America’s largest independent provider of connected care, Connect America has a growing portfolio of innovative technologies to help bridge the gap between health care providers, individuals and care partners. The company’s solutions support health and safety in a way that leads to enhanced quality of life, earlier interventions, reduced hospitalizations and peace of mind for an estimated 10 million lives every year, the release said.

A week ago the company announced reaching a definitive agreement to acquire 100Plus, the only remote patient monitoring platform that uses artificial intelligence, according to a separate news release.

The pairing of the two companies joins together Connect America's personal emergency response services with 100Plus's remote monitoring solutions onto one care management platform. Connect America, a portfolio company of Detroit-based Rockbridge Growth Equity, is adding complementary digital health products and technologies to enable both passive monitoring of patients in the home and better patient engagement outside of the physician's office, the announcement said.

The new Fountain Inn operations will be led by facility manager Mike Leary, a veteran of the patient-connection industry.  The facility is expected to be operational this year, and ReadySC will assist with recruitment and training.  Hiring will begin immediately for fulfilment specialists.

“Greenville County is pleased to welcome Connect America’s newest base of operations here to our community," Greenville County Council Chairman and GADC board member Willis Meadows said in the release.  “The brand is a national leader in innovation and communication for seniors and vulnerable population segments, and a welcome addition to our growing technology and services ecosystem.”

Fountain Inn Mayor G.P. McLeer welcomes the company to his town.

“Connect America’s decision to locate their first South Carolina facilities in Fountain Inn is recognition that the efforts our city is putting into being a great place to live, work and thrive is paying dividends,” McLeer said in the release. “We welcome the company to our city and wish them continued growth and success here at the Diamond Tip of the Golden Strip.”