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Delaware

Delaware is best known for financial services such as banking and credit card institutions, pharmaceuticals and agriculture. Last year, AstraZeneca chose to locate its North American headquarters in North Wilmington. AstraZeneca is the result of a merger between pharmaceutical concerns Astra and Zeneca. The number of jobs associated with the merger totals almost 4,000, but the headcount is estimated to grow to more than 6,500.

With information technology coming to the forefront as an important industry sector, Delaware state and industry leaders are making efforts to grow the information technology (IT) workforce in light of an apparent shortage.

The Governor's Information Technology Initiative is now in place to recruit, retain and educate companies and employees about IT. The objective is to create a business environment where IT-intensive companies can prosper; create high-quality, high-wage jobs; and retain Delaware-based companies that are currently threatened by an IT shortage.

At the top of the initiative's agenda is the need to develop and execute a plan to attract 10 new and diverse IT businesses this year that will result in at least 300 new jobs for Delaware. At the heart of the effort is the Delaware Technology Park in Wilmington and Garrison Oaks Tech Park in Dover. IT business incubators are also being implemented to fuel the development of this industry sector, as well as possible tax incentives.

Other efforts are underway to attract business to Delaware. In Sussex County, a 60,000 sq.-ft. (5,500-sq.-m.) spec building in Seaford Industrial Park was dedicated as a collaborative effort between the state and the City of Seaford. A tenant of the park is Craig Technologies, which produces precision polymer ball bearings used in a variety of industries including the medical, pharmaceutical and automotive manufacturing fields.  SS