Gov. Tony Evers and U.S. Rep. Brian Steil were among those on hand Friday to celebrate the ribbon-cutting of Nexus Pharmaceuticals’ new manufacturing facility in Pleasant Prairie.
Nexus Pharmaceuticals is a woman-owned, privately held pharmaceutical company based in Lincolnshire, Ill., that produces specialty and generic injectable drugs relied upon by hospitals across the United States. The Pleasant Prairie manufacturing facility at 10300 128th Ave. will support the production and supply of drugs in an array of therapeutic areas, including anesthesia, oncology, cardiovascular, and neurology.
“Not only does Nexus Pharmaceuticals bring a commitment to innovation, quality and safety, but the company also brings good, family-supporting jobs that are essential to the viability of our state’s economy,” Evers said. “Southeastern Wisconsin is increasingly becoming a destination of choice for high-value manufacturing jobs that require a skilled, educated workforce, and this project is a testament to Wisconsin’s lead in advanced manufacturing and our work to connect the dots from job training to transportation infrastructure.”
“We are proud to call Wisconsin the new home for our company’s first manufacturing facility,” Nexus CEO Mariam Darsot said. “This investment is needed to drive the continued growth of the U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. There is increasing patient demand for high-quality and accessible generic injections. The addition of our Wisconsin facility will enable Nexus to produce a more stable and reliable supply of sterile injectables, a category that is particularly susceptible to drug shortages.”
The multi-phase project is expected to be completed within 10 years, with an estimated total investment of $250 million. As part of the project’s first phase, Nexus will hire more than 77 workers in the fields of high-tech production, engineering, quality control and supply-chain management, at an average annual salary of $70,000.
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. is supporting the project by authorizing up to $1.5 million in state income tax credits over the next four years. The actual amount of tax credits Nexus will receive is contingent upon the number of jobs created and the amount of capital investment during that period.
Economic modeling analysis conducted by WEDC indicates that in addition to the creation of 77 jobs at Nexus’ Pleasant Prairie location, the project could indirectly generate 134 additional jobs in the region. Those 211 total new jobs are expected to generate up to $512,000 annually in state income tax revenue. The construction phase of the project could directly support an additional 237 jobs and a total of 379 direct and indirect jobs.
“This is a great opportunity for Pleasant Prairie, for Wisconsin, and for the region. Nexus’s decision to locate here is further proof of Wisconsin’s status as a leader in innovative manufacturing,” WEDC Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes said.
Nexus’s facility is located in the Prairie Highlands Corporate Park, located along Interstate 94 north of Highway 165, where it joins German candy producer HARIBO and healthcare provider Advocate Aurora among the initial occupants of the park.