A business providing care and support to individuals with autism spectrum disorder recently expanded to its third location in the Capital Region in two years of business. Mercy Autism Center opened on Perkins Road near Bluebonnet Boulevard in the former FITT training location earlier this month. The other locations are on Jefferson Highway near Airline Highway and in Gonzales. Fabian Edwards with Elifin Realty represented the landlord and Mercy Autism Center in the lease deal of the nearly 6,000-square-foot facility. “We are on Jefferson, but we had a waitlist of kids, and that center was full,” says Mercy co-owner Stephen Heard. “There were a lot of families that lived on the other side of I-10 that were having to go out there, so we decided to do something on this side of I-10.” The renovation was a complete buildout to transform the gym space into a clinic. It took roughly two months and cost around $75,000, according to Heard. Heard’s wife, Catherine, co-owns Mercy Autism Center and handles the clinical side of the business. The center provides applied behavior analysis therapy to the roughly 80 children it serves, along with other services. The business started with only the Heards as employees at the Jefferson Highway location two years ago, and now has 75 employees across the three locations. The center’s clients range in age from 18 months to the early teens. Take Our Poll