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November 19, 2007- Congresswoman Kaptur Asks UT Trustees To Back Regional Center for Red Cross

November 19, 2007
Congresswoman Kaptur, who has been working with the American Red Cross for several years to establish the regional center in Toledo, noted that she has secured approximately $4.2 million in federal awards over the past several years to help attract health-related jobs to the region.

“We have been focused on showing the Red Cross that Toledo was the right choice for them, especially with the development of the Science and Technology corridor,” Kaptur said.

The Trustees were considering a resolution at today’s meeting to sell approximately three acres of land on health sciences campus (the former Medical University of Ohio, or MUO) to Foundation Park Investors. The investors group, in turn, would obtain three additional acres and undertake an $8.7 million project to add 15,000-20,000 square feet to the former MUO Foundation building. That building would house the Red Cross distribution center for approximately 250 hospitals in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan.

“The Red Cross distribution center would serve as an ‘anchor tenant’ for the Health Sciences Campus research park and UT’s science and technology corridor,” said Kaptur.

“We believe the distribution center will attract other businesses and organizations to the health sciences campus. It would be an additional jewel in our medical crown.”

Kaptur said the project would retain approximately 200 jobs, create new construction jobs would be created with the addition to the MUO Foundation building, and position Toledo to compete for additional jobs in the high-tech medical technology sector.