By Carol Coultas,Business Writer

LEWISTON – A local medical billing company will be the newest tenant to occupy the former Ames department store at the Lewiston Mall.

Physicians Professional Management Corp. will vacate its offices at 689 Sabattus St. and move into its new home probably by late July, said Leo Beliveau, president. Crews are in the building now, retrofitting former retail space for office use.

“We think it’s an ideal location,” said Beliveau. “We have a staff of more than 60 people and a growing business.”

Beliveau said things like plentiful parking, nearby restaurants and banks, and proximity to the turnpike’s Exit 80 are appreciated by employees.

“We’ve got people working here from surrounding communities, so this will be a centrally located place with lots of amenities,” he said.

Founded 11 years ago, the company has expanded each year, Beliveau said.

“We’ve had controlled, progressive growth,” he said. “By keeping the focus on quality, we’ve been able to grow slowly and right.”

PPMC provides medical billing and other services for physicians around New England. It will occupy about 15,000 square feet of the building.

According to John Wise of WRE Realty, brokers for the building, another 40,000 square feet remain available to lease.

Wise said his company is negotiating with three national apparel chains for that space. He expects there will be an announcement in July and another in September identifying who those tenants will be. Planet Fitness and New Super China Buffet opened recently in some of the former discounter’s retail space; a temporary L.L. Bean clearance center occupied it during the holiday shopping season.

KeyBank will also be a new neighbor at the mall. A 3,300-square-foot standalone branch is planned for the parking lot. Construction should begin within three weeks.

Work crews are a common sight near the mall these days. In addition to the workers getting the PPMC space ready, there have also been city public works crews repairing a sinkhole on Lisbon Street. Wise said he hasn’t really received any complaints from mall tenants about the road project, which has been detouring traffic around the mall’s Lisbon Street entrance since Monday night. They expect to finish the repair by Friday.