Direct Supply unveiled its revamped Innovation & Technology Center (ITC) in the heart of MSOE's campus at 1020 N. Broadway. The ITC, which first opened in 2012, connects MSOE professors and students with research projects and internships at Direct Supply.  

The new Innovation & Technology Center is now the largest of its kind in the nation. The ITC has been renovated from its original two floors to now occupy the entire 55,000 sq. ft. German-English Academy building.

"Senior care is at a major inflection point," said the ITC's Managing Director, Tom Paprocki. "Demographic shifts, generational preferences and systemic financial constraints are all converging, and they cry out for practical technologies and innovation that will transform care. The building is awesome, but it’s the work we’re doing here that matters. We’re here to shake things up in a major way."  

Over 200 engineers working in the ITC will collaborate with startups, universities and progressive care providers to develop technology-based solutions that help shape the future of senior care. The goals are to help senior care professionals lower costs, improve outcomes and heighten the resident experience in senior care, an industry often underserved for innovation.  

“Direct Supply’s ongoing partnership with MSOE is a transformative commitment to our students and our campus,” said Dr. John Walz, President of the Milwaukee School of Engineering. “This type of partnership between business and industry leaders is the bedrock of MSOE's foundation. Since 1903, our university leaders and community partners have built upon this foundation with the shared goal of providing an experiential education that results in graduates who are driven to solve the complex challenges of today and tomorrow.”  

Direct Supply’s new expanded Innovation & Technology Center is one more piece in the ongoing transformation of Wisconsin into a hub for technological innovation.  

“Direct Supply is helping lead the way for innovation in Wisconsin,” said Governor Tony Evers. “By connecting MSOE students directly with their industry leading expertise in the critical and growing field of senior care, Direct Supply is building a national hub for applied research, and helping train the next generation of Wisconsin innovators.”  

The new Center also adds to the growing cluster of startup and entrepreneurial hubs in the City of Milwaukee. 

“The ongoing commitment and investments by Direct Supply produces huge benefits to the City of Milwaukee,” Mayor Tom Barrett said. “Milwaukee constantly reinvents itself.  That’s what makes us a vibrant city.  Direct Supply’s Innovation & Technology Center helps fuel that vibrancy.”