Private healthcare company Medline opened its 1.4 million-square-foot LEED-certified distribution center in Grayslake, Illinois. The $125 million project is expected to create roughly 700 jobs when at full capacity.

The Lake County facility will be the largest medical-grade distribution center in the country, according to company officials. The DC is a part of Medline's $2 billion Healthcare Resilience Initiative, a national capital expenditure campaign that included new distribution centers, manufacturing capabilities and information technology (IT) upgrades.

"It's a real honor to celebrate the ribbon cutting of our newest facility with our customers, local officials and partner organizations," said Brian Bevers, senior vice president of operations at Medline. "Medline has been operating in Lake County for nearly 50 years, and we look forward to growing our presence in the community with this latest addition in Grayslake. Thank you to all who have supported us and for joining us on this special day."

The location handles the distribution of thousands of individual products and devices shipped to healthcare providers across the continuum of care, such as hospitals, nursing homes, ambulatory surgery centers, hospices and physicians' offices. The facility is expected to handle more than $1 billion in annual orders.

"Lake County has celebrated extraordinary growth in advanced manufacturing and life sciences, and Medline is really at the intersection of these key industries," noted Lake County Partners president and CEO Kevin Considine. "We strategically invest in local talent and infrastructure to make sure that business leaders can rely on our workforce, location and competitive costs. Medline's success in our community is a testament to our favorable business climate."

Medline serves the nation's top healthcare systems, operating over 50 distribution centers and 20-plus manufacturing facilities across North America. The company distributes 300,000 unique medical products, including 65,000+ manufactured by Medline.