WORCESTER, MA – Downtown Worcester’s Mercantile Center today welcomed UMass Memorial Health Care, the city’s largest employer, to its new 18,000 square-foot office space with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony and remarks from senior project executives and city officials. As Mercantile Center’s largest tenant, UMass Memorial Health Care will provide office space for 500 information technology employees on two floors, bringing its IT staff together under one roof for the first time.

Consigli Construction built the new space and is the construction management firm for other parts of Mercantile Center as well.

“Mercantile Center is a key piece of the redevelopment of downtown Worcester and as one of the state’s leading innovative health care providers, UMass Memorial Health Care is a perfect fit for this brand new, cutting edge office space,” said CEO Anthony Consigli. “We’re thankful to be a part of such an important project to the future of New England’s second largest city.”

“With this expansion, Worcester is closer to achieving an important goal – the revitalization of our downtown which makes Worcester even more attractive to potential great employers like UMass Memorial, as well as a destination for hotels, residences, and new business of all kinds,” said Chip Norton, president of Franklin Realty Advisors LLC, one of the developers of Mercantile Center. “Their early commitment to this project was a critical element to the success of Mercantile Center, and sets the standard for attracting new tenants to our center and to our city.”

Dr. Eric Dickson, president and CEO of UMass Memorial Health Care, said, “This is an important moment in our history, one that both reaffirms our commitment to the city of Worcester as well as to our phenomenal staff, ensuring our ability to continue to attract and retain top talent. We are thrilled with our brand new, high caliber office environment, located in the heart of a revitalized downtown well on its way to becoming a top business hub in our state.

City officials also spoke at today’s ribbon-cutting, including Worcester City Councilor Tony Economou and Worcester City Manager Edward M. Augustus, Jr. Both officials acknowledged the commitment of Mercantile Center and UMass Memorial to the city, recognizing that each has played a vital in bringing new jobs and attracting positive attention to Worcester.