KARL STORZ Imaging Purchases new Building in Goleta, CA, Location

TUTTLINGEN, Germany (June 20, 2014) – KARL STORZ GmbH & Co. KG, a world leader in advanced minimally invasive endoscopic technology and operating room integration solutions, is pleased to announce that it has purchased a new building for its KARL STORZ Imaging, Inc., production and product development facility in Goleta, California. The new location, at 1 Los Carneros Drive, offers room for anticipated growth and establishes a more permanent location for the company’s subsidiary, KARL STORZ Imaging.

With the support of Dr. h. c. mult. Sybill Storz, Owner and Managing Director and Mr. Karl-Christian Storz, of KARL STORZ Endoskope, a management team from the North America Region researched a variety of lease and purchase options for new locations before settling on the purchase of the new Goleta site.

“Our facility in Goleta serves growing markets all over the world. That global growth has contributed to the considerable growth in all KARL STORZ operations and the size of our onsite personnel in recent years,” said Gary Macker, Global Vice President, Manufacturing, KARL STORZ Endoskope. “With our current growth, it was time to consider a move to a larger facility. Company preference is to own major facilities and this is an expression of that preference.”

The move is considered to be a significant milestone since the company owns the approximately 102,066-square-foot two-story facility. KARL STORZ previously leased three facilities in Goleta. The company currently occupies approximately 67,000 square feet in three Goleta buildings that they have been leasing. The Goleta company was purchased by KARL STORZ in 1990. David Chatenever, who is one of the original founders is now the KARL STORZ Global Vice-President for Product Development and Innovation. He leads product development for KARL STORZ which takes place in many facilities around the world, including Goleta.

“In addition to size, quality and budget, we considered a range of factors in selecting our new facility,” said Emery Skarupa, General Manager, KARL STORZ Imaging. “We took into account the proximity to our existing offices to minimize the impact on our current employees, especially with regard to commute times. We also considered factors of convenience, such as distance to public transit and local restaurants. The new Goleta location was found to an excellent fit in all respects since it is virtually across the street from our current locations.”

Although the new building currently is occupied by tenants on the first and second floors, the long-term plan is for KARL STORZ Imaging to fully occupy the building. After the first tenants move from the building at the end of 2014, renovations will begin, with the first KARL STORZ employees occupying the space by the end of 2015. The company plans to fully occupy the building once the last tenant’s lease expires in 2018.

The new facility is walking distance to public transportation and has nearby shopping and restaurants for employees to take advantage of during lunch and after work. For the convenience of out-of-town visitors, the building is also a convenient distance from transportation hubs and accommodations.

To be environmentally responsible, KARL STORZ will work toward attaining LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. As part of this effort, the company purchased a building near public transportation and is encouraging employees to carpool through an incentive program.

Gary Macker says, “I have been with the company for 25 years and can attest to the pride KARL STORZ has from contributing to economic growth in Goleta and the advances in medicine we have been a part of. Purchase of this building is our commitment to continue those roles for quite some time.”

KARL STORZ Imaging, Inc., is an affiliate of KARL STORZ GmbH & Co. KG, an international leader for over 65 years in reusable endoscope technology, encompassing all endoscopic specialties. Based in Tuttlingen, Germany, KARL STORZ GmbH & Co. KG is a family-owned company that designs, engineers, manufactures and markets all its products with an emphasis on visionary design, precision craftsmanship and clinical effectiveness. For more information, call (805) 968-5563, or visit the company’s Web site at www.karlstorz.com.