Huge Expansion at Talecris Creates New Jobs

Gov. Bev Perdue and several top state officials joined executives of Talecris Biotherapeutics and officials of Clayton and Johnston County at the Clayton Center to announce a $268.7 million manufacturing expansion that will bring 259 new high-paying jobs to the area.

Work on the huge expansion of the pharmaceutical company's already-large manufacturing facilities in Clayton will begin soon and take more than five years to complete. The new facilities will expand the company's work with blood plasma in developing medicines to treat a number of diseases. Officials also hinted that more expansions could be coming in future years.

"A lot of people worked hard on this," the Governor told a large crowd of state, county and local officials at the Clayton Center Auditorium. "It's kind of awesome. We're being talked about nationally, because we're able to bring and keep large industry in our state. The fact that Talecris has found the tools it needs to succeed in North Carolina shows why this state’s business climate is consistently named as the best in the nation.”

Gov. Perdue praised the work of officials from Clayton, the county and state who worked with company executives to convince them to expand here rather than build a new facility elsewhere. Talecris was considering a few other sites, but decided to expand its presence here, partly because of financial incentives in the millions. The Governor said incentives are necessary to keep industry---and the prosperity it brings---in the state and to lure others to locate in North Carolina.

Talecris officials said the quality of the work force in Clayton and the town's close proximity to the area's major universities was also key to their decision.

“We’re extremely pleased to be investing in our company’s growth while at the same time contributing to the economic prosperity of Johnston County, a region that has been a historic partner in the development of our industry,” said Mary Kuhn, executive vice president of operations for Talecris. “Our manufacturing capabilities have grown exponentially in recent years, creating more jobs and local opportunities. We’re excited to continue expanding in a region that has been so supportive of the biotechnology industry.”

Clayton, which boasts the largest number of pharmaceutical jobs in the state, is also home to Novo Nordisk and Hospira.

Research Triangle Park-based Talecris, which added 200 new jobs last year, employs about 1,800 full-time workers in Johnston County. The new jobs created by the expansion will pay an overall annual salary of more than $51,000, not including benefits, which is higher than the county average of about $34,000.

"This is one of the greatest days in the history of Clayton," said Mayor Jody McLeod, who presented the Governor with a gift of beautiful flowers before the ceremonies. "This is Friday the 13th, but instead of being an unlucky day, this will be remembered as a very lucky day for the people of Clayton. Not only is the Governor getting a good look at our town, but so are many of the top officials in the state. And they say they like what they see."

US Rep. Bob Etheridge said the announcement "proves it's good to invest in Clayton and Johnston County."

"It's about the people," he said, "the people who do the work."

County Commission Chairman Wade Stewart called Friday "an exciting day."

"It's always a good day when you can announce jobs being created rather than jobs being lost," he told the crowd.

Talecris has been awarded a $250,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund, which assists in industry recruitment and expansion by providing financial assistance through local governments.

In addition, the state Economic Investment Committee has awarded a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG), which goes to new and expanding businesses and industrial projects whose benefits exceed the costs to the state and which would not be undertaken in North Carolina without the grant. Under the terms of the JDIG, the company is eligible to receive a grant equal to 65 percent of the state personal income withholding taxes derived from the creation of new jobs for each of the 12 years in which the company meets annual performance targets. If Talecris meets the targets called for under the agreement and sustains them for 12 years, the JDIG could yield as much as $3.66 million in maximum benefits for the company.

The company will also get tax breaks for the next few years from the county.

Talecris Biotherapeutics discovers, develops and produces critical-care treatments for people with life-threatening disorders in the areas of immunology, neurology, pulmonology and hemostasis. The company employs about 4,700 worldwide.