March 13, 2015
By Riley McDermid, BioSpace.com Breaking News Sr. Editor
Pharmaceutical manufacturer Xcelience will add 100 jobs as it expands its Tampa headquarters, the company said Friday, as it capitalizes on a $9 million investment in its growth.
The company said it will be hiring in drug development, manufacturing, quality assurance and packaging and will expand is manufacturing operations and pharmaceutical development labs. The new growth is a cornerstone of Florida Governor Rick Scott’s job creation plan and he said keeping Xcelience thriving and happy in the state will remain a priority.
“We are proud to announce that Xcelience is adding 100 new jobs in Florida because we know that every new job helps a family in our state,” said Scott in a statement. “We are glad that Xcelience has continued to invest and expand in Florida, and it is announcements like this that are helping our state become the global destination for jobs.”
As part of the expansion, Xcelience will add a 6,000 square foot expansion at their 5415 W. Laurel Street location and will move their pharmaceutical development labs into a new 71,000 square foot headquarters at 4910 Savarese Circle in Tampa. The new move just made sense to Derek Hennecke, company president and chief executive officer.
“Tampa is a great place to build a base of scientific capabilities,” said Hennecke. “The warm climate attracts a stable workforce, and the government at all levels is eager to help us grow and prosper. Our location puts us just a mile from the airport, making it easy for out of state clients to find us. Exciting things are coming down the pipeline for Tampa, for Xcelience, and the exciting new medical treatments we are developing with our clients.”
Xcelience specializes in preformulation, formulation development, analytical services, GMP manufacturing, small-scale commercial manufacturing, and global clinical supplies packaging and logistics for clinical trials. It is one of dozens of biopharmaceutical and biotech companies in the state, which is something that had local leaders lauding the decision Friday.
“Hillsborough County offers the workforce talent, lifestyle, and culture of innovation that global companies like Xcelience need to thrive,” said the Sandy Murman, chair of the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners. “We are committed to supporting their growth and appreciate their investment in our community.”
In a press release, the company said that Florida’s manufacturing sector ranks among the top 10 nationally, with a sales tax on manufacturing equipment temporarily eliminated. It also has nearly 1,000 biotech, pharmaceutical and medical device companies, and its manufacturing sector alone has more than 18,200 companies employing some 317,000 people statewide.
“Xcelience‘s expansion of their global headquarters here is a testament to Tampa as a top life sciences and manufacturing destination,” said City of Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn. “The word is out about our city as a great place for science and technology professionals to live, work and play and that excitement is driving the growth of key innovation sectors.”
BioSpace Temperature Poll
Vertex Pharmaceuticals made news last week when it terminated leases on three properties in Cambridge, Mass, that freed up 313,000 square feet of space in the Genetown area. The company has spent a significant part of 2014 consolidating its operations on the South Boston waterfront, leasing 291,000 square feet of office space at West Kendall Street in Cambridge’s Kendall Square. So we wanted to ask the BioSpace community: Is Boston going to be getting more biotech leases anytime soon, or fewer tenants?
