Dec. 9, 2019

The Chicago medical company Medcor Inc. has started its call center services out of a downtown Sioux Falls office.

Medcor offers telephonic triage to workers hurt on the job, serving national clients including major retailers. An injured employee calls Medcor, where a triage advocate uses an algorithm to refer the person to appropriate care.

Brady Terveen, who has a background in nursing, is the “pod leader” for the Sioux Falls office, which is above Duluth Trading Co. at 320 S. Phillips Ave.

Terveen, who owns A1 Al’s Pheasant Ranch near Emery, was connected to the company when executives stayed at his ranch to hunt.

“We have 160 nurses that work remotely throughout the U.S., and the reason we started this up is because we started with call centers. And we’ve noticed the employees that started in call centers, a lot of them still work for Medcor because they have connections with people. When they’re working from home, it’s not face to face, and it’s harder to make those connections.”

The company took several steps to attract workers in Sioux Falls. It chose a downtown office, paid for parking and exempted employees from working nights, weekends or holidays.

“We love being downtown,” Terveen said. “There’s so much to do before or after work. We’re glad we came down to this area. It’s appealing to the workforce to work down here, and the traffic is a lot less than I thought.”

The 4,000-square-foot space is a roomy office designed for up to 15 people. There will be a dozen by early next year, and hiring is going well, he said. Many employees are former nurses or paramedics who like the hours Medcor offers.

“We didn’t want to be a typical call center with cubicles and fluorescent lights,” he said.

“We wanted an open concept, future-focused, with sit-to-stand desks, ergonomic keyboards, really nice chairs and a Silicon Valley feel to the break room and collaboration areas. We try to take the same lunch break, so they can keep those relationships and not be isolated.”

Other perks include GreatLIFE Golf & Fitness memberships and company outings to area events.

“We wanted to set ourselves apart, and as far as pay, we’re very competitive,” Terveen said.

“Eventually, we want to do a second shift.”

A ribbon-cutting will be held at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. The company is still hiring. For information, visit medcor.com.