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KC attracts California animal biotech company By Jason Gertzen A new initiative to expand the animal health industry in the Kansas City region has landed a San Diego biotechnology company. Executives for Synbiotics Corp. selected Kansas City out of five Midwestern locations seeking the relocation of the company’s headquarters and research laboratories, Paul Hays, president and chief executive officer, said last week. The company needed to be closer to many of its customers, animal disease researchers and animal vaccine manufacturers, Hays said. “Kansas City is the best location to touch all of those,” Hays said. Synbiotics, which is expected to employ 42 people and invest $3.5 million for equipment in the area, represents an early success for the new KC Animal Health Corridor initiative. Company officials expect to have a building on the Missouri side of the metro area renovated in time to move in by January or February. The company is to receive income tax credits worth $1.6 million from the state. The city is providing a property tax abatement incentive. The animal health effort aims to expand on a base of nearly 120 animal health industry companies in a corridor roughly stretching between Manhattan and Columbia. The concentration of this cluster of companies is unmatched by any other region, according to Brakke Consulting Inc. Economic development officials are touting the benefits of operating in proximity to similar firms, top researchers and service firms working with animal health companies. The region also offers a rich pool of highly qualified workers for animal health companies that establish operations in Missouri, Gov. Matt Blunt said in a statement. “Synbiotics is a leader in its field and represents the kind of company we want to continue to attract to the Show-Me State,” Blunt said. Biotechnology is a highly sought target by development officials across the country. Officials with the Kansas City Area Development Council and other key supporters tried to make the region stand out by crafting an animal health initiative playing on the advantages of the existing industry in the area. The company already is collaborating with Kansas State researchers and will explore similar opportunities with their counterparts in Columbia, Hays said. Synbiotics makes tests such as those used by veterinarians to detect heartworms in dogs and cats. It also has a leading avian influenza test among its detection products for poultry, cattle, swine and horse producers. The company reported $10.8 million in sales for the first six months of the year, up 7 percent from the same period in 2005. Reproduced with permission of The Kansas City Star © Copyright 2006 The Kansas City Star. All rights reserved. Format differs from original publication. Not an endorsement. |
Home | Benefits of the Corridor | Outstanding Business Climate | Concentration of Companies | Ground-Breaking Research For more information, contact: © Kansas City Area Development Council. All rights reserved. |
