Cook Medical-Vandergrift in Parks Township is in the process of expanding after being acquired by Nexpring Health, a global medical technology production company that specializes in assisted reproductive technology.
By next year , the expansion is expected to create about 40 jobs in Armstrong County.
“(Nexpring) is looking to be focused entirely on reproductive health and try to be a one-stop shop,” said John Whitlinger, general manager of Cook Medical-Vandergrift.
Whitlinger will be staying on at the branch and transitioning to a position with Nexpring after the acquisition is complete.
As the process finalizes, it’s not just the staff that will be expanding.
“We are remodeling the interior of the building and building a new building to be able to accommodate more IVF products,” said Kristy McCorkle, human resources manager at the branch.
According to the Pennsylvania Center for Workforce Information and Analysis, Cook Medical, a medical technology company, was the seventh-largest employer in Armstrong County in the third fiscal quarter of 2025.
The Parks Township branch employs more than 250 people.
McCorkle said the branch has been in the hiring process for the past year-and-a-half. The company is looking for full-time manufacturing assemblers, quality control inspectors and other positions in the manufacturing space.
McCorkle said the main requirement is a high school diploma or GED.
“We netted 32 people last year,” she said. “We’re having a tough time with retention right now and the recruiting process.”
There were 19 positions available as recently as last week. By the end of this year, they hope to add 35 employees. McCorkle said they want to fill 40 positions in all by next year.
Until now
Cook Medical recently narrowed its production to focus on vascular and medical surgery products.
The Parks Township branch has specialized in pacemakers, heart leads and programmers for pacemakers.
As time passed, the branch moved away from pacemaker production and focused on the tools that support them, Whitlinger said.
In its effort to narrow its product portfolio, Cook Medical has been selling some product lines to other manufacturing companies. The Parks Township location will produce heart or pacemaker lead extraction devices until the line’s sale is complete this year.
“The entire lead management is going to Merit Medical in October,” Whitlinger said.
Merit Medical Systems, Inc. is a global manufacturer of disposable medical devices for interventional and diagnostic procedure based in South Jordan, Utah.
Minimally invasive medical surgery products also were made at the location. They included the implantable doppler system — a specialized, temporary monitoring tool used to monitor blood flow during and after reconstructive procedures. That product line was sold to Cooper Surgical in December.
Focus on IVF products
The Parks Township location will produce in vitro fertilization (IVF) products under the Nexpring name by next year.
Some of those products include glass holding pipettes, glass micro injection pipettes and biopsy pipettes. The branch will continue to produce plastic pipettes, formerly known as Cook Flexipet Pipettes, used mainly in IVF labs to move eggs through different mediums as they’re developing.
“These products have always been made here and will be continued to be made here under a new name,” Whitlinger said. “We’re just going to be making more.”
Cook Medical was founded in 1963 by husband and wife, Bill and Gayle Cook. They manufactured the first U.S.-produced percutaneous wire guides and catheters. According to Whitlinger, these tools are complementary in minimally invasive procedures, used to navigate vasculature, deliver devices and perform therapeutic procedures.
According to the company’s website, Cook produces minimally invasive medical devices globally and technologies supporting almost 60 clinical specialties.
The branch in Parks Township was founded in 1981.
Top 10 employers in Armstrong County
1. ACNH Hospital
2. Armstrong School District
3. Wal-Mart Associates Inc.
4. Rosebud Mining Company
5. Armstrong County
6. State government