VIRGINIA SPOTLIGHT
A New Order In
the Old Dominion
the Old Dominion
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onathan Leder minces few words when asked why his company selected Roanoke, Va., for a US$12-million headquarters for enzyme research and production. Speed to market in a cost-effective location made the difference, he says.
Novozymes Biologicals, a global leader in enzyme production and development for industrial applications, announced on May 14 that it would invest $12 million into constructing new R&D and manufacturing facilities at a 457-acre (185-hectare) research park in Roanoke.
But it wasn't necessarily a done deal from day one. In fact, Novozymes stood a good chance of moving to the Raleigh-Durham, N.C., market in the heart of the Research Triangle. Instead, the company will become the first tenant in Roanoke County's Center for Research & Technology, a 457-acre (185-hectare) business park designed for technology, biotechnology and high-tech manufacturing companies. The move will also create 25 new jobs and preserve a total of 90 jobs for the area.
"We just feel that the Roanoke Valley is a great place to be," says Leder, director of technology and operations for Novozymes. "This area has a really good work force, including a lot of people who have left the Northeast U.S. to come here. In New Jersey, where I used to work, the industrial development people did just about everything they could to make a deal not happen. Here in Roanoke Valley, it's exactly the opposite."
Leder, who holds a Ph.D. from Harvard, says the goal of his company is to grow revenues by 20 percent a year. In the past year, the company's revenues from the Roanoke operation have grown by 60 percent.
"Novozymes is an extremely high-tech company," he adds. "We spend 14 percent of our revenues every year on R&D and employ more than 700 scientists. We are growing so rapidly in Roanoke that by the time we finish our first phase of construction of 20,000 sq. ft. (1,860 sq. m.), we will need to begin on phase two."
The company broke ground March 14 on its new facility in Roanoke and is moving into the space this fall. Leder says that speed to market was definitely a factor in the company selecting Roanoke. "The county was terrific on the zoning issues, and the permits were there when we needed them," he says. "Plus, we received incentives from the county on the land purchase price and worker training grants from the state."
Ted Melnik, president of Novozymes, calls the move a strategic one for his company. "A tremendous amount of work has been done to develop the growth strategy for the business," he says. "We worked closely with Roanoke County and the Roanoke Valley Economic Development Partnership to convince our board of directors that this was the place to build our business for the long haul."
Novozymes joins a growing roster of biotech companies in Roanoke, including BioPhile Inc. and PPL Therapeutics, a branch of the Scottish company that cloned Dolly the sheep in 1997. Novozymes also represents something else for Virginia – a new era, one in which high-tech companies select second- and third-tier communities as their preferred place for doing business because of what these locations offer: a high-quality transportation network, abundance of highly skilled talent and reasonable costs.
Novozymes Biologicals, a global leader in enzyme production and development for industrial applications, announced on May 14 that it would invest $12 million into constructing new R&D and manufacturing facilities at a 457-acre (185-hectare) research park in Roanoke.
But it wasn't necessarily a done deal from day one. In fact, Novozymes stood a good chance of moving to the Raleigh-Durham, N.C., market in the heart of the Research Triangle. Instead, the company will become the first tenant in Roanoke County's Center for Research & Technology, a 457-acre (185-hectare) business park designed for technology, biotechnology and high-tech manufacturing companies. The move will also create 25 new jobs and preserve a total of 90 jobs for the area.
"We just feel that the Roanoke Valley is a great place to be," says Leder, director of technology and operations for Novozymes. "This area has a really good work force, including a lot of people who have left the Northeast U.S. to come here. In New Jersey, where I used to work, the industrial development people did just about everything they could to make a deal not happen. Here in Roanoke Valley, it's exactly the opposite."
Leder, who holds a Ph.D. from Harvard, says the goal of his company is to grow revenues by 20 percent a year. In the past year, the company's revenues from the Roanoke operation have grown by 60 percent.
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"Novozymes is an extremely high-tech company," he adds. "We spend 14 percent of our revenues every year on R&D and employ more than 700 scientists. We are growing so rapidly in Roanoke that by the time we finish our first phase of construction of 20,000 sq. ft. (1,860 sq. m.), we will need to begin on phase two."
The company broke ground March 14 on its new facility in Roanoke and is moving into the space this fall. Leder says that speed to market was definitely a factor in the company selecting Roanoke. "The county was terrific on the zoning issues, and the permits were there when we needed them," he says. "Plus, we received incentives from the county on the land purchase price and worker training grants from the state."
Ted Melnik, president of Novozymes, calls the move a strategic one for his company. "A tremendous amount of work has been done to develop the growth strategy for the business," he says. "We worked closely with Roanoke County and the Roanoke Valley Economic Development Partnership to convince our board of directors that this was the place to build our business for the long haul."
Novozymes joins a growing roster of biotech companies in Roanoke, including BioPhile Inc. and PPL Therapeutics, a branch of the Scottish company that cloned Dolly the sheep in 1997. Novozymes also represents something else for Virginia – a new era, one in which high-tech companies select second- and third-tier communities as their preferred place for doing business because of what these locations offer: a high-quality transportation network, abundance of highly skilled talent and reasonable costs.
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