Medical device distributor moving to newly renovated space in Edge District

An old building in the Edge District will be getting a new use in the next month, as renovations are underway at 691 Marshall Avenue at a site that had formerly been used as a tire alignment and repair business for nearly 40 years.

Owner Chris Liberto will move his Liberto Surgical medical device company from Downtown’s Candy Factory Suites to the newly rehabbed space.

Liberto is an independent distributor that who worked in device sales since the early 2000s and has owned his own business since 2012. The main device line for his company is Zimmer-Biomet, a manufacturer of bone plating and screws for facial fractures or neurosurgical procedures like craniotomies as well as for bone fractures of the chest or ribs.

Liberto distributes to hospitals in Mississippi, Arkansas and Western Tennessee.

“Over time, the business has grown and I needed a little more space for inventory,” said Liberto. “Strategically, the building is near to the hospitals where many of our customers are, so it’s nice to be close to the medical center.”

Liberto actually bought the building near the end of 2012 and had originally intended to renovate it and make it his home or a partial home/work space.

“Over the last five years, as the Edge has started to grow and become a real connector to Downtown and Midtown, I thought it made sense to put the business over here,” he said.

Liberto plans to occupy the roughly 2,500-square-foot eastern portion of the building for Liberto Medical, and the 3,000-square-foot middle bay of the building might eventually be leased or used for another business.

He has used the 7,000-square-foot western bay of the building for four years to accommodate another of his businesses, Edge Motor Sports Storage, which is an automotive club of sorts for people in Midtown or Downtown with limited parking to store their “fun cars," Liberto said.

“I bought the building because I had an appreciation for the history of the neighborhood, with this being right on ‘Automotive Row’,” said Liberto. “It’s very exciting to see it transitioning. The neighborhood’s changing dramatically.”

General contractor Garland Sullivan Company is handling the design and construction work. The office space features stained wood and exposed brick, the layout includes a meeting space for visiting clients, and a second level to the building will provide extra storage space.