It took Medical Practice Solutions just two months to get up and running in 2009, thanks to the WESST Enterprise Center’s ready-to-go infrastructure.
Co-founders Marie Mercado and Tina Cleveland launched the company in November 2009 after acquiring a back-office service program they helped create for a local health care company. The program offers remote administrative management services for medical practices.
They moved into WESST on Jan.1, 2010 and immediately became operational, something Mercado called “plug and play.”
“We moved into WESST with all the infrastructure already in place,” Mercado said. “We booted up the entire office and began serving clients on the first day.”
WESST also provided a business loan to help cover payroll and expenses while establishing cash flow, Mercado said.
The startup remained at WESST four years, relying on its support services to grow the business while building collaborative partnerships with other incubator tenants, such as IT services company Kosh Solutions, which managed Medical Practice Solutions’ online infrastructure.
In the process, Kosh and MPS forged a lasting relationship. They leased a facility together in the Broadbent Industrial Park after leaving the incubator in 2014, and then jointly purchased a 6,800-square-foot building near Journal Center in 2017.
MPS has grown from 10 employees and 14 clients when it launched in 2009 to 28 employees and 93 clients today.
“WESST provided a very supportive environment that nurtured collaboration and partnerships,” Mercado said. “That’s been critical for us to build our business.”
