Chapin Medical Expanding, Building New HQ in Corona
By VITA REED
Construction has started on a new headquarters for Orange County entrepreneur and philanthropist Mark Chapin Johnson’s Chapin Medical Co.
Chapin Medical, a distributor of drugs and other healthcare products, is building a two-story, 19,152-square-foot building in Corona. The building is set to be finished in January, according to the company.
The structure, at 419 Jenks Circle, is set to have a foot bridge linking the headquarters to an existing 21,000-square-foot Chapin facility. Chapin Medical’s two buildings are set to sit on about two acres of land.
“We’re going through a growth spurt,” said Thomas Blaylock, Chapin Medical’s vice president of operations. “We’re expanding our product line and adding new employees.”
Chapin Medical, which now employs 35, is planning to add 50 to 60 more employees in the coming months, according to Blaylock.
The company is adding jobs because it’s targeting new customers,home healthcare companies, physicians and clinics, Blaylock said. Up to now, Chapin Medical mainly has sold to hospitals.
“A lot (of procedures) have moved from the hospital to the physician’s office,” he said.
Johnson, Chapin Medical’s founder and chief executive, is active in OC society. Johnson’s affiliations include Chapman University, the Orange County Performing Arts Center, South Coast Repertory Theater and YMCA Orange County.
The Cowan Heights resident set up the Mark Chapin Johnson Foundation for philanthropic activities. Johnson also is a co-founder of the New Majority, a Republican group that wants the GOP to concentrate on business and economic themes rather than social issues.
Blaylock estimates that Chapin’s revenue will be between $40 million and $50 million this year. Privately held, Chapin describes itself as a “niche” company, competing against small, regional medical distribution companies.
Founded in 1974, the company has more than 32,000 accounts in the U.S., according to its Web site.
Chapin is a wholesaler and distributor of therapeutic plasma products and critical care drugs.
“We don’t make (products) ourselves,” Blaylock said.
The company’s products are used to treat gunshot wounds, cancer, AIDS and hemophilia, he said.
Chapin’s new building is set to include a 60-seat theater and some warehouse space.
Watkins/Baile & Associates of Newport Beach is the architect. Wentz Group of San Carlos is building the headquarters.
