Baxter to expand operations

Baxter Pharmaceutical Solutions, a driving economic force in the Bloomington community since its 2001 acquisition of Cook Group, announced plans Wednesday to enlarge its local facility through investments exceeding $100 million. The 120,000-sq. ft. expansion will foster the growth of more than 700 new jobs at the biomedical manufacturing plant. \nThe project's first phase entails a $25 million investment in new construction, equipment upgrades and improvement of existing facilities. The second expansion installment involves an additional $64.5 million investment in the company's Curry Pike facilities in Bloomington. \nJeff Harris, spokesman for the Indiana Department of Commerce, said that state, city and county donations will total $20.7 million in tax incentives and abatements for the Fortune 500 company. \n"Those include grants as well as tax credits," Harris said. "They will serve to support the creation of 700 new jobs and the retention of 560 existing positions at Baxter."\nHarris said the expansion will occur between now and 2010. The first 300 jobs are guaranteed by 2005, with 400 more being added in the following five years. \nThe expansion was lauded by both Indiana Gov. Frank O'Bannon and IU administrators exhorting the advantages of Baxter's expansion to life science researchers. \nIU Interim President Gerald Bepko welcomed the expansion, noting it will be particularly lucrative for researchers in the life sciences community in central Indiana.\n"Baxter's expansion of its Bloomington manufacturing facility holds great promise for the collaborations among business, government and higher education that are so essential in our efforts to build a 21st-century Hoosier economy," Bepko said in a statement Wednesday. "The services that Baxter Pharmaceutical Solutions provides for the biotech and drug industries will be important to the new companies emerging from the discoveries of Indiana University researchers working in the life sciences."\nBaxter Pharmaceutical Solutions, a subsidiary of Deerfield, Ill.-based Baxter International, maintains its status as one of the world's leading drug companies by manufacturing ready-to-use vials, syringes, cartridges and packages for myriad vaccinations. The corporation manages over 30 facilities on five continents and employs more than 55,000 people worldwide. \nIt came to Bloomington in 2001, when the privately-owned Cook Group turned assets over to the Baxter Healthcare Corporation. The merger allowed the expansion of the range of services Cook was able to offer, as well as inclusion in the pharmaceutical giant's global drug delivery program, according to a Baxter spokesman. \nThe acquisition worked in the community's favor, Bloomington mayor John Fernandez noted Wednesday. \n"Baxter, named by Fortune magazine this year as a 'best place to work,' is truly an ultimate match for our community," Fernandez said. "This is a perfect illustration of how a high quality of life can attract high-quality employers"