Orthopedics business makes local distribution move, preserving 100 jobs

Its product catalog runs 220 pages, filled with just about every type of orthopedic brace and sports-therapy system, from arm slings to back supports.

Breg Inc., based in Carlsbad, California, ships the goods all over the U.S., working with 2,500 clinics and more than 6,000 orthopedic surgeons.

Now the company has moved its Indianapolis distribution center to a new location after losing its previous warehouse space on South Perry Road in Plainfield, southwest of the Indianapolis International Airport.

The new distribution center is at 2835 Fortune Circle West, just east of the airport, giving the company access to highways and air traffic. The move into the 108,525-square-foot building was completed in February.

The company has about 100 workers in Indianapolis who will keep their jobs as part of the move.

Breg was forced to find new space after their previous landlord pursued a buyout option in the company's lease.

“The move did not disrupt the employee base, and that was important,” said Jon Azulay, corporate managing director of Savills Studley, a commercial real estate firm that represented Breg.

The company has about 1,200 employees in the U.S. and Mexico. Its products are distributed through a network of more than 70 distributors in 59 countries.

Officials at Breg, a private company owned by Water Street Healthcare Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm, couldn’t be reached for comment. The company did not disclose its annual revenue.

Orthopedic braces are used to support and control the joints of the body, often to prevent sports injuries, as well as to hold joints in place after surgery

“The aging U.S. population, rising prevalence of chronic conditions and health care industry’s movement toward containing costs continue to drive demand for these products,” Water Street said on its website.

Breg was founded in 1989 as a sports medicine operation specializing in bracing and cold therapy for athletic injuries.

Water Street acquired Breg in 2012, and two years later, merged it with United Orthopedic Group.

Today, Breg features a portfolio of “premier bracing and cold therapy brands, as well as consulting and billing services instrumental to supporting orthopedic practices’ operations,” according to Water Street’s website.