News release from the governor’s office
Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced that Engineered BioPharmaceuticals, Inc., a pharmaceutical engineering and manufacturing company dedicated to advancing cost-effective, state-of-the-art medicine, will invest $6.1 million to expand in the City of Danville. The company will expand from its current lab space in the Dan River Business Development Center into its first standalone manufacturing facility at 1 Ecomnets Way. The new facility will allow for Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) manufacturing of the company’s innovative oral pharmaceutical dosing platforms, designed to enhance patient compliance and therapeutic efficacy. Virginia successfully competed with California, New York, and Texas for the project, which will create 34 new jobs.
“Thanks to innovators like Engineered Biopharmaceuticals, our Commonwealth is advancing as a hub for cutting-edge technology and research in the life sciences industry,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “The company’s start in a Virginia business incubator shines a spotlight on the importance of fostering an environment that supports start-ups and small businesses. I commend the region’s forward-thinking economic development leaders and partners and look forward to Engineered Biopharmaceuticals’ continued success in Danville.”
“Engineered Biopharmaceuticals is an important partner advancing our efforts to produce cost-effective, novel medications right here in Virginia,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick. “We are proud of the company’s trajectory from its founding at the Dan River Business Development Center to this new manufacturing facility that will infinitely expand its capabilities and reach while adding 34 high-quality jobs in the City of Danville, which continues to offer the right resources and talent.”
“The company chose to expand in Virginia due to the Commonwealth’s overall business-friendly environment and its preeminent biotechnology presence,” said Engineered BioPharmaceuticals CEO Carl Sahi. “We also found Pittsylvania County and the City of Danville to be an ideal location because of their people, their economic development efforts, and their support and commitment to workforce development.”
“Engineered Biopharmaceuticals is a truly unique company that has provided Danville with a totally new segment of industrial jobs,” said Danville Mayor Alonzo Jones. “On behalf of the citizens of the City of Danville, I congratulate Carl and his team on this milestone moment. We appreciate their confidence and investment in our community, and we look forward to seeing the company grow and thrive for many years to come.”
“The members of the Danville Industrial Authority of Danville are thrilled that Engineered Biopharmaceuticals has selected Danville to expand its business and welcome them as they move into 1 Ecomnets Way,” said T. Neal Morris, Chairman of the Industrial Development Authority of Danville. “We congratulate them on their $6.1 million investment and the creation of 34 new jobs.”
“Engineered BioPharmaceuticals epitomizes the success that is derived when applied engineering concepts for machinery and process complement research and development of advanced chemicals and materials,” said Linda Green, Executive Director of the Southern Virginia Regional Alliance. “Recognized as a pilot for pharmaceutical manufacturing, the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) committed to research funding matched by the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission to support the company at the Dan River Business Development Center. Co-founders Carl Sahi and Jack Polidoro had worked in the Research Triangle and recognized the opportunities that the proximity to the pharmaceutical community provided for establishing a cost-effective and high-quality manufacturing facility in Danville. After exploring the best places to expand their manufacturing capabilities across the eastern U.S., today they announce the expansion of their manufacturing operations in Danville, bringing their entrepreneurial vision to reality!”
“Engineered BioPharmaceuticals has been a great partner for the Pittsylvania-Danville region, and it means so very much to us that they are now making a further commitment to both our area and its citizens,” said Senator Bill Stanley. “This partnership is yet more proof that Southside is the place for 21st-century advanced technology businesses.”
“It is always exciting when a new company comes to the Dan River Region, as in 2011 when Engineered Biopharmaceuticals Inc. came to our Dan River Business Development Center. It is even better when that company chooses to expand because of business success,” said Delegate Danny Marshall. “We are happy to see Engineered Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. move to a standalone facility, invest more than $6 million, and hire an additional 34 employees. Every job helps our families and our community. We look forward to their continued growth.”
Established in 2011 in the Dan River Business Development Center, Engineered BioPharmaceuticals, Inc. develops enhanced delivery and shelf-life stability technologies for pharmaceuticals, vaccines, nutraceuticals, food, and beverage products. The company has been dedicated to partnering with strategic partners and pharmaceutical clients to lower the cost of healthcare and make critical therapeutic drugs more accessible and user-friendly. In addition to developing technologies for customers, Engineered BioPharmaceuticals has also developed novel delivery enhancing technologies that the company can formulate into its own therapeutic products. Expansion into the new manufacturing facility will assist the company with the commercialization of these novel therapeutic products, including its first product, a plant-based, zero-calorie chewable gel (gummy). Once launched, this prescription pharmaceutical product will offer diabetic individuals an improved ‘user-friendly’ oral therapeutic to help combat hyperglycemia, associated with early stages of diabetes.
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the City of Danville and Southern Virginia Regional Alliance to secure the project for Virginia. Governor Youngkin approved a $150,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Danville with the project. Engineered BioPharmaceuticals is eligible to receive state benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Funding and services to support the company’s employee training activities will be provided through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.
