Bristol-Myers Squibb’s success in Tampa was a major draw for Johnson & Johnson

September 18, 2015

There are a number of reasons Johnson & Johnson chose Tampa for its shared services North American headquarters, but Rick Homans believes there was one factor that really sealed the deal.
 
Homans, the CEO of the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp., said Thursday that the success of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s “capability center,” which handles the company’s information technology, marketing services, business and finance services, was a huge draw for Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ).
 
Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) opened its Tampa facility in early 2014.
 
Employees will be relocated from other Johnson & Johnson facilities, a company spokesman said. He said it was too soon to say how many of the 500 jobs would be new Tampa hires.
 
“This is the most visible example of success,” Homans said. “One high-profile success begets another high-profile success, and the success that Bristol-Myers Squibb is having in this market was a story that Johnson & Johnson could easily understand and relate to.”
 
A Johnson & Johnson spokesman said it was a combination of geography and workforce that helped Tampa land the facility. Johnson & Johnson already has a significant presence in Florida, between Vistakon in Jacksonville and medical and surgical device operations in South Florida.
 
“It certainly helps when there’s a critical mass of people in your industry,” said Ernie Knewitz, vice president of media relations for Johnson & Johnson.
 
Knewitz said Johnson & Johnson plans to have the facility operating by mid-2016. The company has leased 111,000 square feet of space on the first five floors of 100 Hidden River Corporate Center One in Tampa.
 
Ashley Gurbal Kritzer – Reporter, Tampa Bay Business Journal