KALAMAZOO, MI - Rx Optical broke ground Thursday on a new $6 million headquarters on South Park Street.

Its construction will cap $9 million in recent investments the home-grown eye care business has made in recent years in the city of Kalamazoo.

The project, which takes future growth into consideration, will give the business more than 22,000 square feet of administrative space, versus 12,500 square feet it now has at 1700 S. Park St.

The company's new two-story headquarters is being built on a 5-acre section of the 12.5-acre Park Place Campus that already has three commercial buildings. After the latest expansion, the Rx Optical will have a total of 60,000 square feet of commercial space on the campus.

That includes the company's lens surfacing and finishing laboratory, where it makes lenses for all 52 Rx Optical locations. The 69-year-old Kalamazoo-based company has 49 locations in Michigan and three in northern Indiana.

Rx Optical also makes contact lenses and provides the pre- and post-operative care for laser vision correction patients.

In 2014, its state-of-the-art laboratory was expanded on the campus, at 1725 S. Park St. It grew from 6,000 square feet to 16,200 square feet.

"We have added equipment this year to the tune of $1 million," said George A. Jepson, the company's vice president of marketing.

The company also has a retail office and medical patient center there. at 1727 S. Park St. It is used as a regional center for patient diagnosis.

Rx Optical employs a total of 325 people, including 114 in Kalamazoo. The local work force includes about 30 workers at the company's six existing retail locations, 35 at its lab and 45 at its headquarters. The latter handle administrative chores such as finance, management, training, support and human resources.

"We've invested a lot in existing locations," Jepson said. It has updated each of its retail locations in the last six years.

Asked what is the need for the facilities expansion, Jepson said, "We're busy."

"It boils down to where people live and where they shop," he said. "We need to serve more people on the west side of Kalamazoo."

He said Rx Optical's stores at 5349 W. Main St. in Oshtemo Township and at 3013 Oakland Drive in the Oakwood Plaza attract customers from Mattawan, Paw Paw and the entire region west of Kalamazoo.

"We're busy in Oakwood and on West Main," he said.

The company will maintain both of those locations and has plans to open another retail location this fall in on Drake Road at Stadium Drive in the University Commons shopping plaza.

That new outlet, a $260,000 expenditure, is to be built next to the new Kalsee Credit Union there. It will be the seventh location for Rx Optical in the greater Kalamazoo area, and its 53rd location overall.

Jepson said a growing percentage of Baby Boomers need eyewear, contact lenses, vision care and optometry services.

"On the heels of that is the Millennials," he said. "That's the demographic."

Driving some new product sales over the past year or so have been digital device lenses. They are designed to protect people's eyes by filtering out blue light from the screen of cellular phones, laptops, computer notebooks and computer screens.

"The long-time effects of being exposed to blue light are being discovered now," Jepson said.

He said it appears to cause eye strain and discomfort. Studies are being done to determine how it affects the macula and the retina.

Rx Optical has a DDL (digital device lenses) program that involves producing custom-designed eyewear for individuals.

"Primarily starting in 2016, it's starting to gain traction," Jepson said.

If all goes well, RX Optical hopes to have its new headquarters up and going in late July of 2017.

In 2017, it also hopes to be able to add 23 new jobs.

Rx Optical has locations in Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Holland, Grand Haven, Muskegon, St. Joseph, Benton Harbor, Battle Creek, Lansing, Jackson, Ann Arbor, Plymouth, Livonia, Farmington Hills, Allen Park, Southgate, Woodhaven, Niles, Three Rivers, Sturgis, Coldwater, Jonesville, Ionia and Hastings. In Indiana it has locations in Angola, Kendallville and Elkhart, Indiana.

Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.

Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (User Agreement updated 1/1/21. Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement updated 5/1/2021).

© 2022 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local.

Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site.