Benco Dental getting new HQ

By Jerry Lynott jlynott@timesleader.comBusiness Writer

JENKINS TWP. – Going to the dentist’s office will take on a whole new meaning when Benco Dental opens its new headquarters and distribution center later this year.

Benco Dental’s new building in the CenterPoint Commerce & Trade Park East will consolidate company operations.

FRED ADAMS photos/FOR THE TIMES LEADER

The company will consolidate its local operations into a 272,800-square-foot building it purchased for $30 million in the CenterPoint Commerce & Trade Park East.

Besides the offices, warehouse and shipping and receiving there will be 24 fully functional dental treatment rooms, called “operatories.”

The rooms will have the latest equipment from major manufacturers and will be must-see sites on tours hosted by Benco for visiting dentists.

“Each vendor has its own piece of real estate,” said Matt Van Stone, a Benco spokesman. “It’s really going to be an industry standard.”

The project is approximately 45 percent complete with a mid-December handoff date, Scott Frask, project manager for park developer Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services, said Tuesday. He estimated between 70 and 100 construction workers and contractors are on the job daily.

The local company, founded in 1930, has outgrown its combined 164,000 square feet in two buildings in Wilkes-Barre. The new location will have closer parking for the approximately 380 employees, two floors of office space and a conveyor system measuring more than 1.25 miles throughout the building to route shipments directly to delivery trucks.

Major shippers UPS and FedEx have facilities in or near the park that is located close to the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Interstate 81 and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport.

“Our new facility will enable Benco to remain a leader in the dental industry for decades to come,” said Executive Vice President Rick Cohen.

The CenterPoint building will be the company’s fourth distribution center and serve the Northeast region of the country. Others centers are located in Jacksonville, Fla.; Fort Wayne, Ind., and Dallas, Texas.

Blogging the progress

Matt Van Stone, junior copywriter for Benco Dental, has been keeping track of the construction on the company’s Web site. Visit www.benco.com and click on the ‘New Building Progress’ link on the top right of the home page.

Jerry Lynott, a Times Leader staff writer, can be contacted at 570 829-7237.