J.J.Jensen
A small
Blaine company has big plans for the biopharmaceutical
industry.
Garry Montgomery, chairman
and CEO of Diversified Bio-Medics Inc., located at 264 H
Street, has announced his company would like to build a
75,000- to 80,000-square-foot biomanufacturing facility
somewhere on the West Coast. Construction would likely cost
around $45 million.
In June, Montgomery
sent out requests for proposals to 10 economic development
offices in Washington and California. He plans to select a
location as early as the end of the year and begin
construction some time next
year.
Seattle was the only city in the
state considered for the
project.
Montgomery, 39, a native of
Canada who's lived in Blaine for more than 10 years, has
talked with Rob Pochert, president of the Bellingham/Whatcom
Economic Development Council about the project, but doesn't
believe Whatcom offers the same amenities as research- and
academia-rich areas like the Bay Area and
Seattle.
"The nice thing about Whatcom
County is what it offers as far as lifestyle," said
Montgomery, "but we need to be in an area with access to
R&D and universities."
Currently in
the running for the project, as reported last month by the
Puget Sound Business Journal, are Seattle and the California
cities of Fremont, Sunnyvale, Morgan Hill, Sacramento, San
Diego and Vacaville.
Diversified, a
two-year-old company with three employees, provides
manufacturing facilities, specialized systems and support to
biotech companies, along with helping companies expedite
their development of
biopharmaceuticals.
Montgomery, who has
previously worked in the dot-com industry and as a
fundraiser for biotech companies, said the new facility is
needed because the biopharmaceutical industry is facing a
shortage of infrastructure for research, development and
manufacturing, especially on the West
Coast.
The new facility, which would
likely be funded through private financing, bonds and
construction financing, would be used primarily for
manufacturing, Montgomery
said.
Initially, he said, the facility
could start with 50 employees and increase to 120 to 150
within a few years.
"In the end, the
vision of the company is to have locations in San Diego, the
Bay Area and Seattle," Montgomery said. "That would cover
the West Coast."
While Montgomery
envisions research and development and manufacturing taking
place outside of Whatcom County, he would like to keep his
corporate offices here. Depending on the success of the
company's present plans, he said, the number of corporate
officials at Diversified could double or triple in the
coming years.
For more information on
Diversified, go to http://www.diversifiedbiomedics.com/.
