MedHub puts $1 million into Dexter grain mill redo, adds jobs

In a merging of high tech with the antique, medical education software provider Med Hub is embarking on a $1 million renovation of the circa-1899 Old Grain Mill at 3515 Broad Street in downtown Dexter. The $1 million project involves a complete rebuild of the 10,000-square-foot interior and installation of basic systems such as heat, according to Peter Orr, MedHub president and principal. The structure is "as it was in 1899," Orr says. The general contractor is Phoenix Construction, the same firm responsible for construction of the Zingerman's Deli expansion. Med Hub awarded the contract to Phoenix Construction because of its experience working with historic buildings. The firm will preserve as many original details as possible, including the wood flooring and grain chutes. A wooden grain silo will be repurposed into a conference room. Construction could be complete by late summer or early fall, after which the firm will move its larger staff from Scio Township into the new space. "We're doubling in size this year, so we've already hired two in the first two months of the year and we're looking to hire three to five more in 2012," Orr notes. He cites Dexter's growing downtown and business-friendly, less-congested environment as the reason for Med Hub's investment. "We have kind of a full campus out here in Dexter, a number of different buildings and some land. That just wouldn't be feasible in downtown Ann Arbor." Source:  Peter Orr, MedHub president and principal Writer: Tanya Muzumdar