Souderton, PA – Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Acting Secretary Neil Weaver today highlighted the Wolf Administration’s ongoing commitment to Pennsylvania’s manufacturing industry during a visit to Almac Group’s U.S. Headquarters, which is expanding in Montgomery County with funding support from DCED.

“Having an internationally-renowned company like Almac choose to expand in the commonwealth is proof of Pennsylvania’s strong pro-business climate, and how much we have to offer to companies,” said Sec. Weaver. “This project is creating and retaining good paying jobs for the region, and we are proud to have had a role in bringing this expansion to fruition.”

Almac Group, a global contract pharmaceutical development and manufacturing organization, will add 100,000 square feet to their existing 246,000-square-foot facility at 25 Fretz Road in Souderton. The project also includes upgrades at the company’s other Montgomery County sites in Audubon and Lansdale, to meet increased and next generation client demand. Almac Group has held operations in Pennsylvania for more than 20 years and officially opened a North American headquarters site in Souderton in 2011.

“We are delighted to mark this next milestone of our future in Montgomery County,” said Alan Armstrong, Almac Group CEO. “We look forward to welcoming over 350 new employees, who will be an essential part of our continued success over the next three years. Almac Group’s mission is to advance human health and we are committed to re-investing all of our profits back into the business to ensure we are market leading for our clients and patients and offer the best possible work environment for our people.”

The company received a funding proposal from DCED for a $1.78 million Pennsylvania First grant, a $250,000 workforce development grant to train its new workers, and were also encouraged to apply for the department’s Manufacturing Tax Credit (MTC) and Research and Development Tax Credit (R&D) programs. Almac Group has committed to creating at least 355 new jobs, retaining 1,434 existing jobs and investing approximately $93.5 million into the project within the next three years.

This project is the second of Almac Group’s expansion projects under Gov. Wolf and was first announced in June. The company’s initial expansion was announced in November 2016. Both projects were coordinated by the Governor’s Action Team (GAT), an experienced group of economic development professionals who report directly to the governor and work with businesses that are considering locating or expanding in Pennsylvania.

Through GAT, Gov. Wolf has invested over $17.6 billion over the past seven years to support 420 completed projects, create 47,180 new jobs, and retain 143,551 jobs for Pennsylvanians.

“Almac’s growth in Montgomery County builds on our strength as Pennsylvania’s county with the highest concentration of jobs in the bio-medical sector in the state,” said David Zellers, Director of Commerce, Montgomery County. “There are incredible opportunities for innovation and investment from the largest, global brands that have a presence in our communities and the entrepreneurs that are making the greater Philadelphia region the world’s leader for the next generation and beyond in the life sciences, medicine, and bio-tech.”

Almac Group is a global company based in Northern Ireland that is at the forefront of developing, manufacturing, testing, and distributing essential medicines to vulnerable patients around the world. During this financial year, the group was a partner of choice in the development of over 300 life-saving drugs spanning more than 20 therapeutic areas including oncology, cardiology, immunology, gene therapy and neurology.

For more information about the Governor’s Action Team or the Department of Community and Economic Development, visit the DCED website, and be sure to stay up-to-date with all of our agency news on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Elizabeth Rementer, Governor’s Office, ra-gvgovpress@pa.gov, 717.783.1116
Penny Ickes, DCED, dcedpress@pa.gov

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