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See Inside: Nonprofit’s new headquarters on Edge District’s edge

Posted by | July 24 2017

This article originally appeared in the Memphis Business Journal

See Inside: Nonprofit’s new headquarters on Edge District’s edge

Progress is being made on Meritan Inc.’s new headquarters, set to be completed by December.

Located on the edge of the Edge District, at 345 Adams Ave., the new headquarters’ roof and floor are almost complete, and the framing of the walls is set to start this week.

Melanie Keller, Meritan CEO, said the nonprofit has raised about $370,000 so far in the capital campaign it launched two months ago for the project. It’s hoping to raise $2 million in the campaign, so it doesn’t have to use too much of its reserve funding for the $2.5 million project.

One reason the nonprofit is hoping not to use too much of its reserve, Keller said, is because many of the social services it offers are funded through federal programs that are set to be reduced or cut entirely by the current administration in Washington.

Meritan’s current headquarters, located at 4700 Poplar Ave. in East Memphis, is located in a four-story building “where the elevator breaks all the time,” Keller said, making it tough for disabled Memphians to access their offices. She said the new location’s single-floor layout was quite appealing to the organization.

Meritan board member Dick Leike, owner of Crye-Leike Inc., said the new headquarters will greatly assist the nonprofit in its mission to serve Memphis, especially as it is easily accessible via public transportation.

“I think [the move] is good for Memphis and good for access for people we employ and use our services,” Leike said.

Meritan provides skilled home health, medical and mental health support to children in foster care, direct care for developmental disabilities and on-the-job training for seniors through its nonprofit and government partners.

Chris Woods Construction Co. Inc. is the general contractor.