Cary medical manufacturer proposes expansion, adding 350 jobs
Cary's largest employer has plans to expand in town that would bring 350 new jobs to the region by 2021, officials said.
Sage Products, a leading medical technologies manufacturer, is proposing building a 200,000-square-foot warehouse/distribution center on 27 acres of vacant land near its existing 600,000-square-foot plant at 3909 Three Oaks Road.
The first phase of development would create 50 new warehousing and distribution jobs by 2018. Full build-out of the property by 2021 would create 300 more jobs and add 610,000-square-feet of warehouse/manufacturing/office space to Sage's campus.
Village officials identified the project as a desired goal for the site as part of a new 20-year comprehensive plan completed in 2015, Village Administrator Chris Clark said.
Sage has been in the village 45 years and employs more than 800 people in the United States, Canada and Europe - 600 of those employees work at the Cary facility and live in the region.
In 2016, Sage was acquired by Kalamazoo, Michigan-based Stryker Corporation, a Fortune 500 company, for roughly $2.78 billion and is part of the Stryker Medical Division.
Sage develops products used to prevent hospital-acquired medical conditions, such as problems from using ventilators, skin injury due to incontinence, pressure ulcers, surgical site infections and health care worker injury. Its health care products are distributed globally and it was named one of the best medium-sized companies to work for in America, per the company's website.
The Cary plant generates $710,000 yearly in property taxes for local taxing bodies - the village's share is roughly $40,000. It's unclear how much additional property tax revenue the expansion would generate.
Retaining and growing the business in town is a significant win for the village and officials are supportive of its expansion plans.
"It's a top-notch operation," Clark said. "They grow their head count by more than 50 percent ... it's a great sign of their success."
In 2011, Sage added 200,000 square feet to its existing plant. The proposed expansion could spur growth in jobs and sales tax revenues in other commercial corridors, Clark said.
Sage employees also volunteer and support community groups and local nonprofits, including Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association, United Way of Greater McHenry County, Sage YMCA of Metro Chicago, Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County, Boys & Girls clubs of Dundee Township, and Crystal Lake High School District 155. The company donated $1.5 million toward an $8.5 million auditorium at Cary-Grove High School completed last fall.
"They are an excellent corporate citizen in the village," Clark said. "They have taken a stake in this town."
The proposed project would require rezoning of the 27-acre site as a business park and removing Sage Parkway, which connects Three Oaks Road to New Haven Drive separating the site from the existing Sage plant. That road currently is used to access homes in the nearby Cambria subdivision, just south of the site.
"Certainly, we are analyzing traffic, engineering impacts to make sure that this is well thought out," Clark said.
An open house for village residents to discuss the project is 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Sage Products.