Midmark Corp., a leading provider of medical, dental and veterinary equipment solutions, will establish its new Research & Development center, 42.5 miles west of Dayton, in Versailles, Ohio. The company plans to create at least 97 jobs in Darke County.

More than $40 million in total, including more than $20 million in machinery and equipment, will be invested in Midmark’s state-of-the-art facility and corresponding growth needs, company officials said. With construction planned in 2018, JobsOhio committed $5 million from its R&D Center Grant Program to support the project.

John Baumann, President & CEO of Midmark, said, “The new R&D center will bring our product development teammates into close proximity in a space that will offer the tools and resources needed to create cutting-edge solutions for our healthcare customers. Midmark is grateful for the tremendous support from JobsOhio. This grant will allow us to create the facilities we need to carry us well into the future and continue to bring innovation to the state of Ohio.”

According to company officials, Midmark will leverage the new R&D center to fulfill its mission of improving experiences between patients and caregivers. With the new R&D center, teammates at Midmark will be better able to identify and launch solutions to improve patient outcomes while reducing costs and enhance the patient experience.

The newly-built facility will co-locate engineering, marketing, product management, commercial leadership and services into targeted research areas and engineering lab spaces aimed at improving specific customer-focused needs. The R&D center will also include a customer-focused design and training center to create an interactive learning experience.

“The JobsOhio R&D Center Grant Program was established to help advance innovation and spur the new jobs and strategic opportunities for R&D commercialization that Midmark plans to grow in Versailles,” Aaron Pitts, JobsOhio Senior Managing Director. “Midmark is an industry leader and a fourth-generation Ohio success story, and we look forward to working with the company as it continues to develop innovative products and services for both providers and patients.”

Dayton Development Coalition President & CEO, Jeff Hoagland, said Midmark’s growth is an example of continued R&D investment in the region: “Midmark’s decision to build its new R&D Center in Versailles highlights the Dayton Region’s strengths when it comes to research and development. With one of the highest concentrations of engineers in the country, Midmark can tap into the region’s culture of innovation. The JobsOhio R&D Grant Program gives the region and the state another valuable tool to support companies like Midmark as they search for breakthrough technologies.”