STERIS

com Health care manufacturer STERIS will locate a new facility in Sanford, investing $600 million in the local tax base and creating 335 jobs, state and local leaders announced Wednesday. STERIS will locate its manufacturing and distribution Chemistries Manufacturing Center of Excellence at the Helix Innovation Park on Hawkins Avenue. The company will receive economic incentives – essentially a partial rebate for seven years on property taxes once fully paid – from both Sanford and Lee County governments. The total value of the incentive package – approved by the Lee County Board of Commissioners and the Sanford City Council in July, when the company’s identity was still publicly unknown – is about $24 million.

If STERIS fails to meet the job creation metrics laid out by local government, the incentive agreement can be clawed back. The tax base investment by STERIS, which provides “products and services that support patient care with an emphasis on infection prevention,” makes it the largest economic development project in Lee County history. Founded in 1985 and based in Ohio, the company employs more than 18,000 people at about 250 locations in more than 35 countries. The facility in Sanford will be a 600,000-square-foot campus for advanced manufacturing, R&D, lab, warehouse, and distribution operations.

Although salaries for the positions will vary, the average annual salary will be $68,704, exceeding the Lee County average of $59,903. Reactions from local and state leaders: Sanford Mayor Rebecca Wyhof Salmon: “We are excited to welcome STERIS to Sanford, which is quickly establishing itself as one of the premiere destinations for major healthcare manufacturing projects in North Carolina and on the East Coast. Our city is thrilled to partner with a company so strategically focused on providing products and services that support patient care with an emphasis on infection prevention.

This project brings significant capital investment and hundreds of good-paying new jobs. We have worked hard as a city to create a community that is both business-friendly and a place where company team members can live, work, and flourish, and this announcement validates that effort. Best wishes and a heartfelt welcome to Sanford. ” Lee County Board of Commissioners Chair Samantha Martin: “The new investment in our community by STERIS isn’t just bringing 335 good-paying new jobs to Lee County; it’s creating 335 opportunities for our residents to have meaningful careers and prosperous lives without leaving home.

While many smaller communities in our nation struggle to find good job opportunities, forcing some locals to search elsewhere for work, Lee County is instead adding to its roster of high-quality employers. ” Sanford Area Growth Alliance Board of Directors Chair and Sanford Contractors Senior Vice President Richard Oldham: “We are thrilled to welcome STERIS to Lee County. A healthcare manufacturing project of this scale, bringing more than 300 jobs and an investment of at least $600 million, represents a significant opportunity for our community and local economy.

STERIS’s decision to expand here also reflects Lee County’s growing presence in the life sciences industry and our continued attractiveness as a place to invest and do business. ” SAGA CEO Jimmy Randolph: “The decision by STERIS to locate in Sanford and Lee County is further proof of our community’s strength as an emerging hub for healthcare and related manufacturing. STERIS is the latest company to recognize the value of our skilled workforce, business-friendly environment, high quality of life, and proximity to the Research Triangle, following in the footsteps of Pfizer and recent additions Astellas Gene Therapies and Kyowa Kirin.