GATESVILLE – Gates County’s newest business will bring much-needed jobs to the local area.

Meridian Senior Living recently hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to formally unveil its new long-term healthcare facility located in Merchants Commerce Center on US 158 behind the State Employees Credit Union. The facility not only will provide 70 beds for long-term healthcare and memory care, but also brings 60 new jobs.

“Meridian Senior Living has always had resident care as our top priority, and we believe that this new community will give us more and better resources to do just that. We are excited about opening in Gatesville and look forward to playing an important role in the community for years to come,” said Denis Rainey, Vice President of Operations for Meridian Senior Living.

Rainey said the new facility will include services for seniors requiring assistance with activities of daily living. Additionally, special memory care services will be available to individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and its related disorders.

The 28,000 square foot Gates House will feature the latest style of construction used by Meridian. Double occupancy bedrooms will be offered. The facility also features a full kitchen as well as a dining room, activity room and living room, complete with Internet access. Advanced security measures are a key element of operation.

“Meridian Senior Living is one of the most trusted names for long-term healthcare,” said Gates County Commissioner Henry Jordan, who has worked to bring this state-of-the-art facility to the county since 2012. “This new facility will give our citizens more and better options when faced with difficult long-term healthcare decisions.

“Additionally, this new facility is creating good jobs at good wages here in Gates County. We are glad to have Meridian in our community and look forward to a positive relationship in the years to come,” Jordan added.

Debra Warren serves as Operations Specialist for Meridian Senior Living. She has been in Gates County throughout the construction period, working closely with the contractor. She and her colleague, Sean McAuliffe, will remain in  Gates County until all the bedrooms are filled.

“Gates Health & Assisted Living looks forward to being an active member of this community; that’s important to us,” Warren stated at last week’s ribbon cutting ceremony. “Since our arrival here we have felt so welcomed by those in Gates County and the surrounding area.

“In all my years of being in this business, and I’ve been in this business for a long time, I’ve never had a building to go up this fast,” added Warren in offering praise for the work of the project’s contractor – Carolina Commercial Contractors. “It’s a beautiful facility.”

“On behalf of the Town of Gatesville and on behalf of the Gates County Chamber of Commerce, we want to welcome Meridian Senior Living to Gates County,” said Gatesville Mayor Elton Winslow who also serves as President of the Chamber’s Board of Directors.

“It’s important that you provide a great service for the county and also provides jobs for our county,” Winslow added. “As the president of the Chamber of Commerce I make an effort to support the businesses of our Chamber, so I hope you here at the Gates House won’t mind if I wait a while before I use your beautiful facility. But I do want to encourage everyone who needs a facility such as this, then this is the place you need to go.”

At the close the brief grand opening ceremony, those in attendance were welcomed to tour the building as well as enjoy a pig-picking meal.

Meridian will be hiring locally. Anyone interested in seeking employment in the new Meridian community are encouraged to visit the facility.

Founded in 2007, Meridian Senior Living is a North Carolina success story and has quickly risen to be an industry leader. Meridian is now the 8th largest assisted living company in the country and the 5th largest Memory-Care provider, providing life services for more than 5,000 residents.

Meridian Senior Living provides outstanding care and services in a comfortable, home-like setting at communities across the United States and offers the resources, experience and individual attention to help make aging-related decisions easier.

Meridian is no stranger to the local area. Of the 38 properties owned or managed (or both) by Meridian in North Carolina, nine are in the northeastern part of the state – the new Gates House along with the Ahoskie House, Edenton House, Currituck House, Windsor House, Williamston House, Rich Square Manor, Rich Square Villa and Hampton House in Gaston.