SANTA ROSA – Medtronic CardioVascular plans a multimillion-dollar renovation next year for its facilities in Santa Rosa that is intended to cement them as a cutting-edge center of research and development.
The CardioVascular division of the Minneapolis-based Medtronic is currently riding a wave of success, with global sales up 20 percent for the last fiscal quarter. Medtronic's Endeavor drug-eluting stent, developed at the Santa Rosa campus, generated over $30 million during the quarter.
The renovations, which include a complete interior refit of one of Medtronic's buildings off Round Barn Boulevard near Fountaingrove Parkway, will relocate about 270 employees currently in one of two buildings on Brickway near the Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport.
"The renovations aim to make the most efficient use of our space," said Kim McEachron, vice president of human resources for Medtronic CardioVascular.
"They'll continue the transformation of our Santa Rosa facilities to create a center of excellence for research and development."
The move follows Medtronic CardioVascular's five-year-long transfer of most manufacturing operations from Santa Rosa to Galway, Ireland.
Space used for manufacturing will be converted to R&D labs for prototyping of new medical devices and related activities in clinical and regulatory affairs, she said.
The EndoVascular Innovations business, which sells stent grafts for the treatment of aortic aneurysms, will continue to operate in the remaining building on Brickway. Medtronic's Coronary and Peripheral business, which sells stents and other angioplasty products for the treatment of arterial disease, is headquartered on Round Barn.
In conjunction with the renovations, Medtronic launched an initiative to create more mobile and flexible work culture for its CardioVascular employees. Dubbed Flexible Workplace, it'll enable employees to work from various locations, including home offices for some workers, by using reconfigured spaces and communications technology.
"We hope to align space and technology with how and when employees need it to do their work," said Ms. McEachron. "In order to attract and retain top global talent from the Bay Area and beyond, we need to foster a culture that utilizes our technology and real estate investments for the benefit of our employees."
The initiative will also lower Medtronic CardioVascular's environmental impact by reducing collective commute times and the associated carbon emissions, she said.
"Our local employees spend an average of 241 hours annually commuting to and from work. If we can reduce commute time by 20 percent, an achievable target, that would free up about 48 hours on average for each of our employees every year."
Medtronic employs 840 in Santa Rosa and occupies 380, 000 square feet of office space in seven buildings.
The consolidation, which will reduce the company's footprint by about 60,000 square feet, is expected to be complete by the end of April.
