Will serve as epicenter for mobile blood drives in Brazos Valley HOUSTON
(April 26, 2022) – Arch-Con® Corporation is breaking ground on a new blood donor facility in College Station, Texas for Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, one of the largest blood donation organizations in the United States. The 3.53-acre site located on the northwest corner of Krenek Tap Road and Highway 6 will serve as a hub for launching mobile blood drives in the Brazos Valley and the newest Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center donation location for community members to donate lifesaving blood.
“Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center’s new location, a short distance away from our current donation center in Bryan-College Station, will allow us to continue to serve the community and be a central location for our operations and mobile services,” Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center’s Chief Financial Officer Eric Eaton, who oversees the organization’s building and fleet management, said. “We are happy to have found and purchased this land within the community that continues to support our mission and Commit for Life.”
Headquartered in Houston, Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center’s mission is to work with communities to help save and sustain lives by providing a safe supply of blood, biotherapies and related services. The organization provides blood and blood components to more than 170 hospitals and healthcare facilities in 26 Texas counties and has helped save millions of lives in the Texas Gulf Coast region. The organization needs about 1,000 blood donations every day to serve these hospitals as each week, thousands of area patients need blood to survive. Blood is vital during surgeries, organ transplants, cancer treatment and trauma patients.
The new state-of-the-art, one-story, 10,800-square-foot, pre-engineered metal building designed by Powers Brown Architects features a light-filled reception area, four screening rooms, and a large area dedicated to blood donation with eight donation stations. The building’s efficient design includes warehouse and mobile preparation space to support the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center’s outreach services. The facility also includes administrative offices, training areas and storage for donation equipment and materials. This location will replace the donor center known locally as The Blood Center of Brazos Valley, located at 1701 Rock Prairie Road that the nonprofit leased in College Station for more than a decade. Thanks to an increase in parking with 53 spaces, the new location will also resourcefully serve as home base for their donation coaches and eight hospital service vans that mobilize in the Bryan-College Station area.
Vice President Taylor Wright with Colliers, a global leader in real estate services and investment management, helped identify and purchase the land purchase for the organization. “We first looked at pre-existing structures but nothing satisfied Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center’s high commitment to the community,” Wright said. “Ultimately, Colliers was able to identify and successfully negotiate the acquisition of a large tract of land on Highway 6 which aligned perfectly with Gulf Coast’s stated goals.
Colliers Senior Project Manager Neil Potter was engaged in parallel with the acquisition of the land to spearhead development of the new building by providing design, construction, and advisory services for the organization. General contractor Arch-Con® Corporation worked with the team during the design and development process to keep the project in budget. Infrastructure Associates is the mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineer, and Pinnacle Structural Engineers and Kimley Horn are the civil engineers. The building is projected to open the beginning of 2023.