New Lease Yields Greater Flexibility for Pediatric Group
 Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, based in St. Paul, is the Twin Cities’ largest pediatric orthopedic group practice specializing in orthopedic care for children. |
Challenge
Gillette had experienced tremendous growth over the past five years and was operating at capacity at its clinics in St. Paul, White Bear Lake and Minnetonka. To better serve its growing patient population, Gillette turned to United Properties Healthcare Group for strategic planning, demographic studies and site analysis to explore expansion options.
Because of its unique medical service offerings, Gillette had specific needs for its locations, including:
- Easy and convenient access, particularly for families bringing children with physical disabilities.
- Adequate space for a variety of medical services, including physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech language pathology services.
- A specific physical space dedicated for a therapy pool.
Strategy
United Properties analyzed the demographics of the entire Twin Cities metro and narrowed the options to those areas where Gillette’s patients were underserved based upon current clinic locations. Results of the research validated Gillette’s initial instincts to head to the south metro. More detailed demographic research by United Properties identified Burnsville as the market that best served Gillette’s needs. These demographic studies included household types, age ranges, population density and traffic patterns. Once the Burnsville area was isolated, the next step was to find possible sites that would meet Gillette’s size and location requirements.
Gillette places great emphasis on internal consensus from all their key decision makers. To ensure solid support for the new site, United Properties provided Gillette’s administrators with regular, detailed reports over a ten-month timeframe on possible locations, financial comparisons, timelines and lease negotiations to share with physicians and staff.
Results
United Properties negotiated a new lease for Gillette in the Ridgeview Medical Building at 305 East Nicollet Boulevard in Burnsville, an appealing location because of its residence on Fairview Ridges campus and its ready access to major highways. To accommodate future growth, United Properties negotiated a two-year expansion plan for an additional 5,500 square feet for a therapy pool.
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