WARSAW, IND. (March 14, 2007) – Paragon Medical, Inc. announced the company is investing in Ivy Tech Community College-Warsaw’s future as an educational leader in the community at a news conference held at the campus today.  Paragon Chairman and CEO Toby Buck said his company will invest $250,000 in Ivy Tech’s capital campaign to raise $2.8 million for land acquisition, equipment and technology for a new campus in Warsaw. This is a multi-year commitment beginning in 2008. 

"We are excited to make this investment in Ivy Tech, the community and Paragon Medical,” Buck said. “Several companies in the area compete for the same skilled resources, and at times it is challenging to find the skill set necessary to meet the market demands locally,” he continued. 

"In theory, the more skilled individuals we can develop in Warsaw, the less work that will leave our community and by definition gives us, as employers, greater options. By investing in Ivy Tech, we are also investing in the future of Paragon 's ability to serve our global client community,"  Buck said.

Last May, Paragon announced that it would be offering state certified apprenticeship programs to its employees to help fill the demand for labor.  Paragon plans to partner with Ivy Tech to provide some of the coursework for this program.

According to Ivy Tech-Warsaw Executive Dean Randy Maxson, “As an aggressive leader in our orthopedic and advanced manufacturing industries, Paragon Medical and its Chairman and CEO, Toby Buck, have once again invested tangibly in the economic and workforce future of our community.

“Ivy Tech-Warsaw is privileged to serve the needs of employers and employees, and we are both humbled and excited about this major investment from our local industry. Our community deserves a permanent home for our community college, and this significant investment is another testament to the community support that will empower and prepare our citizens for the jobs of the future,” Maxson said.

Ivy Tech recently began a capital campaign in response to the community’s need for a new, permanent campus in Warsaw.  The college has had a presence in the community since the late 1970s, but always in a borrowed or leased space.  The lease for the current main facility at 3755 Lake City Highway will end in 2012. 

Once Ivy Tech acquires the land, college officials and community members will pursue securing state funding for the “bricks and mortar” of the new campus.  The new campus will serve Kosciusko County and surrounding communities. Current plans are to fold programs at the main campus and the Ivy Tech Orthopedic and Manufacturing Training Center, which opened in October 2006 at 980 Executive Drive, into the new campus.

The Paragon investment is the second major partnership to be announced in the campaign. In January, the Kosciusko County Community Foundation announced a $100,000 capstone pledge to the campaign, the largest gift in the Foundation’s history.

Incorporated in 1991, Paragon Medical is a single-source turnkey supplier for custom and standard surgical instrumentation, implantable components, and cases and trays to the worldwide medical device marketplace, with a concentration in the hip, knee, spine, trauma, and sports medicine disciplines. Offices and production facilities are located in Pierceton, Ind.; Memphis, Tenn.; Fairfield, N.J.; Pompano Beach, Fla.; Smithfield, Utah; and Lausanne, Switzerland. More information about Paragon may be found at www.paragonmedical.com.

Ivy Tech Community College is the state’s second largest public post-secondary institution with over 100,000 students enrolled annually.  Ivy Tech has 23 campuses throughout Indiana.  It serves as the state's engine of workforce development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its communities, along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana.  It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. More information about Ivy Tech can be found at www.ivytech.edu.