Gov. Scott Announces Actavis to Expand Florida Manufacturing Facility, Create 220 Jobs
On March 21, 2013, in News Releases, by Staff
Today, Governor Rick Scott announced that Actavis, Inc. (NYSE: ACT), a leading specialty pharmaceutical company formerly known as Watson Pharmaceuticals, plans to expand its pharmaceutical manufacturing and warehousing facilities in Davie, resulting in the creation of 220 jobs.
Gov. Scott said, "I welcome Actavis' expansion and thank them for choosing the Sunshine State. We are excited to see Actavis create 220 new jobs for Florida families. Since December 2010, Florida's private-sector has created over 280,000 jobs and our state's unemployment rate is below the national average for the first time in five years. There is no doubt that Florida is moving in the right direction and the steps we are taking to create an environment where our businesses can grow is working."
The expansion will involve the construction of a 30,000-square-foot addition comprising approximately 16,700 square feet of pharmaceutical manufacturing space and 13,000 square feet of warehouse space.
To increase production, the company will invest about $40.5 million at the Davie site, which will include the construction of the additional space as well as investment within its existing facility. Construction is slated to begin in the third quarter of 2013, with completion anticipated in one year and initiation of operations to follow.
The Davie facility is Actavis' center for excellence for the manufacturing of immediate and extended release pharmaceuticals. Organizations that assisted the company in facilitating its expansion were Enterprise Florida Inc., Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, State of Florida and the Town of Davie.
"We are honored to have the support of the leaders of Town of Davie, Enterprise Florida and Governor Rick Scott as we continue to expand our presence in Florida. Actavis is proud to support Florida and [the] Town of Davie economy with skilled, pharmaceutical industry jobs, and we are committed to expansion of employment opportunities in the region," said Paul Bisaro, president and CEO of Actavis, Inc. "In addition to Davie, we also have packaging and distribution functions in Sunrise, Florida and pharmaceutical research and development operations in Weston, Florida. Our Anda, Inc. division, the fourth largest distributor of pharmaceuticals in the U.S. is also located in Weston. In total, Actavis employs approximately 1,400 people in Florida."
The company's growth is welcome news to its local community. Town of Davie Mayor Judy Paul said, "We are very happy to have Actavis in Davie and were very pleased to work with the company in their expansion. As one of Davie's major employers, Actavis has been a vital part of our community for many years. This expansion is very exciting and we wish them every future success."
Bob Swindell, president and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, shared Paul's views from a county-wide perspective. "Actavis is one of Broward County's leading employers and their expansion is a great indicator that our efforts to grow the important and strong South Florida life sciences cluster continues to pay off," Swindell added.
Actavis has been approved for nearly $2.9 million in grants, tax refunds and employee training incentives (state and local) to support its expansion.
"Actavis' choice to build its future in Broward County is a winner for Florida. It's a testament to the strength of the local and state business climate," said Florida Secretary of Commerce Gray Swoope. "It's also the outcome of a mutual vision for economic growth by local, regional, business and government partners."
The Actavis Davie manufacturing facility, in operation since 1992, comprises manufacturing, warehouse, quality, engineering and shared services. The site manufactures about 2.2 billion units annually and is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Health Canada, and the European Medicines Agency.