Startup Pack Health plans to open a new headquarters in downtown Birmingham and anticipates hiring 175 additional employees over the next four years, including programmers, developers, health advisers and other positions, according to the Birmingham Business Alliance (BBA).
Pack Health has 30 employees and is renovating a building on First Avenue North that should open this summer. Capital investment in the project is $2.9 million, the BBA says.
“In addition to accommodating our growing staff and bringing us closer to UAB and quality-of-life factors such as Railroad Park, Regions Field and Innovation Depot, this is a space where we can host events, work more closely with our local partners and become a hub for innovation in health and health care in Birmingham,” Pack Health President Mazi Rasulnia said.
Pack Health is a digital platform for chronic care management that was founded in 2013 and moved to the Innovation Depot business incubator in 2014. It graduated from the incubator in 18 months and renovated a building in Avondale for its first headquarters. Its new headquarters is just two blocks from Innovation Depot.
“I congratulate Pack Health,” Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said. “From its inception here to aligning with major national partners and adding jobs, the company’s growth is a great example of how Birmingham is growing to meet the needs of its citizens.”
‘Success story’
The company worked with the Alabama Department of Commerce, Alabama Power Co., REV Birmingham, the City of Birmingham, the Jefferson County Commission and the BBA to make the expansion a reality.
“Innovation represents a key catalyst in Alabama’s continued and future economic success. Pack Health has fully embraced this concept and recognizes the benefit of being a major part of the state’s innovation community,” said Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce.
“We look forward to working with them as they continue to pave the way for a better and healthier Alabama.”
The digital health coaching that Pack Health provides helps people living with chronic conditions access care in an appropriate cost-effective manner, improve their health outcomes and get more enjoyment out of a healthy life.
“Pack Health is truly a Birmingham startup success story,” Jefferson County Commissioner David Carrington said. “Their corporate strategy has resulted in rapid growth, which has enhanced the health of many Alabama citizens. As such, the commission fully supports the expansion of their services throughout our region.”
Strategic partnerships
Pack Health’s expansion comes on the heels of several strategic partnerships for the company. Coverys, a nationally recognized medical professional liability insurer based in Boston, recently made a strategic investment in the company that will allow Pack Health to expand its footprint within business organizations.
“Helping companies like Pack Health grow in Birmingham is a significant goal for the Birmingham Business Alliance and its partners,” said Jon Nugent, the BBA’s vice president of innovation and technology.
“Pack Health and the Birmingham startups of today are very important to our community’s future and the ability to compete globally for funding and talent. We are fortunate that we have public and private partners in Birmingham that understand that well,” he said.
(By Jerry Underwood/Courtesy of Made in Alabama)
