Pharma company Xcelience expands, adds 100 jobs

March 13, 2015

 
 
Margie Manning | Tampa Bay Business Journal
 
Xcelience plans a $9 million capital investment as part of an expansion that will create 100 new jobs at the pharmaceutical firm.
 
The company is in line for $1.2 million in state and local incentives as a result of the project. About half of the incentive package is tied to the planned new jobs, which will pay a minimum average wage of $56,000, according to a statement from the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp.
 
Xcelience — a contract development and manufacturing organization servicing the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries — will increase manufacturing capacity at its current facility at 5415 W. Laurel Street in Tampa, adding 6,000 square feet. The company also will expand its pharmaceutical development labs in a new 71,000-square-foot headquarters at 4910 Savarese Circle in Tampa, to support future growth.
 
New jobs will include staff for pharmaceutical development, manufacturing, quality assurance and packaging, the statement said.
 
The Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners and the Tampa City Council approved a combined local incentive package of $100,000 for Xcelience in January, supporting a $400,000 commitment from the state of Florida through the Qualified Target Industry program. The state also will provide Xcelience $135,000 in Quick Response Training and $585,000 in sales tax exemptions for the purchase of machinery and equipment.
 
A growing number of life science and manufacturing industry companies have been expanding in Tampa and Hillsborough County, the statement said, citing Bristol-Myers Squibb, Covidien, HealthPlan Services, Synergy Health, Smart Science Labs and LifeLink. Derek Hennecke, president and CEO of Xcelience, called Tampa a great place to build a base of scientific capabilities.
 
Hennecke took Tampa Bay Business Journal on a tour of the Laurel Street facility shortly after the company moved into the Westshore site.