Spokane-based Thompson Custom Orthotics & Prosthetics Inc. says it has selected Meridian Construction Inc., of Spokane Valley, to erect a $2 million structure that will house its main office and production lab.

Meridian was expected to obtain a building permit and begin construction by late June at the half-acre project site, at 401 S. Sherman near the Sherman Street-Interstate 90 overpass. Jim Cahill, who, along with business partner Henry Bennett, owns Thompson Custom Orthotics, says the planned 12,400-square-foot structure is expected to be completed in December.

CSHQA Inc. and Smart Spaces by Design LLC, both of Boise, designed the project, and Storhaug Engineering Inc., of Spokane, performed the civil engineering work for it.

Rob's Demolition Inc., of Spokane, razed a 78-year-old, 13,000-square-foot building at the site in May to make room for the new structure. One part of the structure will have two stories and the other part will have one story with rooftop parking, Cahill says. The project also will include some ground-level parking.

Thompson Custom Orthotics makes braces, supports, and artificial limbs for people with injuries or physical abnormalities. The company has 20 employees and its current main facility is located in 5,000 square feet of leased space at 502 E. Fifth.

The project will double the company's patient rooms to eight, and increase its fabrication space, Cahill says. The company has a small office at Deaconess Medical Center and plans to open another at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center & Children's Hospital. It also has a small office in Clarkston, Wash.