Pharmaceutical manufacturer picks Sanford for 325 new jobs, after getting NC incentives
Abzena, a British pharmaceutical manufacturer, has picked Sanford as the site of its newest facility, planning an investment of $213 million that will bring with it hundreds of new jobs.
The decision, which will create 325 new jobs, comes as the state of North Carolina approved an incentives package worth around $6.9 million for the company — about $21,300 per job.
The incentive package will only be paid out to the company if it meets hiring and investment goals set by the state Commerce Department.
Sanford and Lee County are adding $11.5 million in incentives, bringing the total amount offered to Abzena to $18.4 million, or about $56,615 per job.
The jobs will be created between 2021 and 2025, according to the state’s Economic Investment Committee, which approved incentives for the company Tuesday.
The manufacturing jobs will have a minimum average wage of $63,308, which is higher than Lee County’s average wage of $42,500. The jobs will be part of a subsidiary firm created by Abzena, the Commerce Department said. The name of the subsidiary has not yet been decided, according to Commerce.
Abzena, which does contract manufacturing for other firms, currently has three facilities across the world in Cambridge, England; San Diego and Bristol, Pennsylvania.
The company is helping make some medicines in response to the coronavirus pandemic, including an antibody-based treatment developed by the biotechnology company Immunome.
Part of a larger expansion
The company employs around 350 people worldwide, and is projected to make $125 million in revenue this year, according to Commerce Department records.
The N.C. Commerce Department said Abzena was considering Tulsa, Oklahoma; Austin, Texas; San Diego; Philadelphia; New Jersey and Greenville, South Carolina, for the expansion. Tulsa was considered the runner-up, according to Commerce.
In a statement, Jonathan Goldman, CEO of Abzena, said the move is part of a larger expansion in the U.S.
“This builds on the successful launch of our second cGMP biologics facility in San Diego in 2020,” Goldman said. “We are pleased to provide high quality integrated drug development services covering research as well as the clinical and commercial phases without the need for technology transfer.”
Sanford, located about 40 miles southwest of Raleigh, has some experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing. Pfizer has a large presence in the town, employing nearly 1,000 people in manufacturing and other roles.
“We welcome these new biomanufacturing jobs to Lee County,” said N.C. Rep. John Sauls, a Republican who represents Lee County. “Our region is a vital part of North Carolina’s growing life science industry cluster, and we’re excited to see the many opportunities that Abzena will bring to our community.”
This story was produced with financial support from a coalition of partners led by Innovate Raleigh as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work. Learn more; go to bit.ly/newsinnovate
This story was originally published April 13, 2021 at 12:54 PM.
