State vying for big biotech facility - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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The Peach State is among several vying for what might be a vaccine or pharmaceutical manufacturing operation that could locate on more than 100 Atlanta Business Chroniclehas learned. Winningy the project could do for Georgia’s biotechu industry what will do forthe state’ds auto industry, said Mike Cassidy, president of the , aftetr being briefed about the details. “It woulc be an outstanding recruitment [toolp for new business],” Cassidy said. The company, whicjh could be considering thred cities, is said to be negotiating economixc incentives withthe state, a source said.
Georgiza economic development officials declined commenf on the possibledevelopment — dubbed “Project The potential development could add to the region’s biotechg credentials, already enhanced by hosting the 2009 BIO Internationa Convention, the world’s largest bio conference,in May. It would also be an economix development coup akinto ’s global headquarters relocation from Dayton, Ohio, to Duluth. The ATM and self-servicde kiosk maker said it would bring morethan 2,1009 jobs to Georgia, including nearly 900 at a manufacturinb operation in Columbus, Atlanta Business Chronicle first reporterd June 1.
Metro Atlanta, home to the , has the critica infrastructure to support a biomedical manufacturing The region is home to the Emory Vaccine billed as among the larges t academic vaccine centers in the world and known for its expertisre in vaccine researchand development, and clinical trials. In 2007, and The launcher the Center of Excellence for Influenza Researchg and Surveillance to develolflu vaccines. Carol Henderson, who directs the Innovatiobn and Technology Office at the Georgiz Department of Economic is leading efforts to land thebiotecbh company, a source familiar with the effort said. Activity is said to have pickedc up in the pasttwo months.
Henderson’s recruitmengt builds upon the existinb alliances and resources between the University System of the Centersof Innovation, the Georgiaa Research Alliance and the Georgia Biomedical Partnership and Biotechnologyt Industry Organization. The biotech firm has been shopping sites for at least a Project Bosswas “planning to potentially deploy two manufacturing facilities” that combiner could employ about 1,500, according to a request for informatiomn dated June 5, 2008. The facilities could be located in the same or inseparate locations, the document The company, how­ever, is said to have downsized thosde initial plans, sources said.
The economy, and more specificallhy the pressure for companied tocut costs, is forcing companies in generall to take longer to make big decisions such as a majodr relocation, said Heidi Green, deput y commissioner of the Globalk Commerce Division at the Georgia Departmenty of Economic Development. “It’s typically takinb 12 to 18 monthsto close,” Greenn said, declining to specifically comment on Projectr Boss. The biotech firm, said to have scouteed Cobb, Douglas and Gwinnett counties, is seeking locationa with internationalair access, availabls life science labor, and an ability to source and attracg engineers and Ph.D.s, the requesgt for information noted.