News
Contributors
HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C.—Congratulations to Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies! The Womble Bond Dickinson client has announced a major expansion to its Wake County, N.C. facility. The project will bring 725 jobs and $2 billion in investment to the Raleigh-Durham area, a hotbed for the life sciences industry.
Womble Bond Dickinson attorney Dave Efird provided site selection and economic development counsel to Fujifilm during the project. The final deal includes a package of state and local incentives. North Carolina beat out a number of other potential sites, both in the U.S. and in Europe, for the highly coveted project.
Once completed, the expanded facility will develop and produce monoclonal antibodies—biotech medicines used to treat a number of viruses, including COVID-19.
The complex deal involved many moving parts and a wide range of partners, including the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the Economic Development Partnership of N.C., the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, the North Carolina Community College System, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, Duke Energy, The UNC System Office, North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina Central University, Duke University, the North Carolina Japan Center, Capital Area Workforce Development, Wake Tech, the Town of Holly Springs, Wake County, and Wake County Economic Development, a program of the Raleigh Chamber.
Efird also worked with U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis’ office to resolve travel complications for Fujifilm employees coming to North Carolina from Denmark.
Fujifilm has operated its Wake County facility since 1996 and currently has around 600 employees.
In a statement, Fujifilm Corporation President Kenji Sukeno, said, “We are delighted to expand our footprint here in North Carolina as we fulfill our mission to help our customers accelerate development and supply of high-quality medicines to patients.”
About Womble Bond Dickinson’s Economic Development Team
Womble Bond Dickinson’s Economic Development Team helps clients explore opportunities for locating or expanding operations in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic U.S. Our Economic Development Team combines a thorough working knowledge of economic development incentives; land use and siting procedures; and regulatory matters at the state, county and local levels, drawing on strong relationships built over many years with key governmental and civic leaders. Learn more.
