Weight Loss Surgical Center is moving up N. Ridge Road
'medical corridor' gets another tenant
Weight Loss Surgical Center is the newest tenant in the medical-retail center near 34th and Ridge Road
The relocation to 3460 N. Ridge Road -- informally called the Hearth and Home Center after a former anchor tenant -- is part of Weight Loss Surgical Center's plan to maximize exposure, said president and chief executive Mike Nemechek.
Nemechek said he considered Towne West Square and Towne East Square malls, but ultimately decided to stay on Ridge Road just south of K-96, a growing area often referred to as west Wichita's medical corridor.
The business moved up the road from its previous location at 2260 N. Ridge Road.
"The new location is slightly larger, more convenient and a much better presence for us," Nemechek said. "We do have a logo and a name, a brand we're trying to develop. This new location helps us be able to put that information on the street."
The company, which is based in Overland Park, has been in Wichita for a few years. The center specializes in adjustable gastric band surgery for weight loss. All surgeries are performed in Overland Park, but its support offices manage patients before and after surgery, including Lap-Band adjustments.
Nemechek said he decided against moving the Wichita feeder office into one of the city's malls because the idea is so new.
"We felt to experiment with the mall concept, it was easier to do it in Missouri and Topeka, which are closer to our home base," he said. "If we find the mall-based location is very successful, we're likely to open more as we continue to expand the business."
The first mall location will open Monday in Independence Center in Independence, Mo. The business will open its second mall office at West Ridge Mall in Topeka on Nov. 1.
In Wichita, the center now shares space with Mid-Kansas Ear, Nose & Throat Associates, which signed a lease there in May.
The retail and office center also houses a Southwestern College satellite campus, Bank of the West, Continental Title, Regent Financial Group and Scooter's Coffeehouse.
The location is a prime spot for medical offices and retail, particularly because of its proximity to K-96 and a thriving residential base, said Dan Unruh, a partner with InSite Real Estate Group, which brokered the leases.
The commercial complex is nearly full. Unruh said two spaces remain -- one at 1,977 square feet and the other at 5,213 square feet. The spaces lease for about $10 a square foot.
The lease to Weight Loss Surgical Center fits well with the area's burgeoning medical community, Unruh said.
"That's a pretty successful group, a nice penetration in our market," he said. "We're thrilled to have them on Ridge Road, the space fits them very nicely, and the use fits our center."
11>BY ANDI ATWATER
| 
