Patheon to Expand in Pitt County, NC
October 3, 2014 (Greenville, NC) – Governor Pat McCrory and North Carolina Commerce Secretary Sharon Decker announced today that DPx Holdings and its business unit Patheon, a leading provider of contract development and commercial manufacturing services to the global pharmaceutical industry, will expand its operations in Pitt County. Patheon plans to invest $159 million to increase the site’s capabilities as well as modernize the site and develop energy efficiency programs at the facility. The company also plans to create 488 jobs with an average salary of $50,000 in Greenville by the end of 2019.
“To know that a growing company like DPx Holdings has chosen to expand its Patheon facility in North Carolina is a great sign that we are on the right track in building our state’s economy,” said Governor McCrory. “This company is part of one of the fastest growing industries in the country, and it is great to have them call North Carolina home.”
Patheon contracts with large and small pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies to develop, manufacture and distribute its drugs and therapies. DPx Holdings’ U.S. headquarters is located in Durham and also has a manufacturing facility in High Point. The company currently has more than 1,680 employees in North Carolina, including more than 1,000 at its Pitt County facility. Globally, the company has over 8,000 employees at more than 20 locations. The expansion will address Patheon’s need for additional manufacturing and development capacity.
The project will create the largest North American sterile manufacturing facility along with a pharmaceutical development services business that will help usher new drugs through the FDA approval process, said Patheon Chief of Staff, Gary Shope.
“We are honored that Patheon has committed to making this location its flagship manufacturing facility. Our competition for this project was tough, and Patheon’s decision to locate here is a vote of confidence that we do not take lightly,” said Wanda Yuhas, Executive Director of the Pitt County Development Commission. “Patheon is already one of our largest employers and finest corporate citizens, and we look forward to even greater shared success in the coming years.”
At the press conference, company officials, including Shope and the Greenville facility’s General Manager, Aj Crerar, addressed their commitment to working with local and state government officials as well as academia to build sustainable and successful manufacturing and product development operations in Greenville. Shope added that he was excited to partner with East Carolina University and Pitt Community College because the skills needed by employees are much more scientifically-based than in the past. These high-skill jobs include engineers and research scientists.
The press conference followed a vote Friday morning by the Pitt County Board of Commissioners on incentives for the Patheon expansion. The Pitt County Commissioners voted to award a grant of up to $500,000 along with $40,000 in supplements. The Commissioners also approved an economic development grant in the an amount equivalent to 80 percent of the increased value of ad valorem taxes paid by the company for a five-year period.
“Today is about Patheon and the company’s investment and creation of new jobs in our community. We provide the business environment that enables the company to achieve its goals, but without Patheon’s vision, skill and strategic investments, we would have no project to support,” commented Mark Owens, Chair of the Pitt County Board of Commissioners. “Their goal to be not just the biggest, but also the best contract manufacturer on the planet has provided us with a rare opportunity, and we are grateful.”
State incentives included a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG), as voted by the state Economic Investment Committee. Receipt of the award is based on proof of job creation and other performance requirements. Over twelve years, the JDIG award could yield aggregate benefits to Patheon of more than $6.3 million upon the creation of 488 jobs.
Additional partners who assisted with this announcement include the NC Department of Commerce, Economic Development Partnership of NC, NC Community College System, the BioNetwork, NC Biotechnology Center, East Carolina University, Pitt Community College, Pitt County, Pitt County Committee of 100 and Pitt County Development Commission.
For more information about Patheon, including job opportunities, visit http://www.patheon.com/
