Page last updated on June 28, 2019 at 2:48 pm
Good morning, and thank you Denis [Johnson], and John [Chiminski], and the rest of Catalent leadership for inviting me to join you for this happy occasion. And welcome to Bloomington, Governor Holcomb! It is good to have you here. I’m very glad to be here, and Mayor Hamilton would be too. I share his greetings today, along with his regrets that his long-scheduled attendance at a national mayors’ conference keeps him from being here today.
And I speak on Mayor Hamilton’s behalf when I say that the City could not be more enthusiastic about Catalent’s presence in Bloomington, and this expansion.
The City is proud to serve as one of the North American centers of operation for this transformative global corporation, that has played such a key role in health outcomes around the world.
Bloomington is a city with a history of many international bonds -- those forged through scholarship, the arts, and the global business community. This corporation is creating even more lines of communication, kinship, and caring between Bloomington and the world. We feel pride in knowing that products manufactured and distributed here improve and save lives abroad. Furthermore, by placing Bloomington within an international network of health product manufacturing and distribution, Catalent is bringing our economy, our population, and our culture into an ever more central position on the global stage. Creating greater affinity between our hometown and distant shores is not only critical in our contemporary economy, it is key to making the world a more peaceful and prosperous -- not to mention healthy -- place.
While world peace may seem a little ambitious, the immediate benefits of Catalent’s location and investment in Bloomington may be a little more quantifiable--
Catalent’s acquisition of Cook Pharmica in 2017 was a tremendous milestone for the City. Catalent’s nearly billion dollar investment here signalled to the world that Bloomington, Indiana was open for business. It sent a particular message to those within the life sciences and biomedical manufacturing sector. Cook Medical had, of course, established that identity decades ago, and the continued presence of its corporate headquarters here has contributed immeasurably to Bloomington’s economy, demographics, and global identity. In the decades since Cook’s founding in the 60s, numerous biotech companies now reside here, contributing to our tax base, creating jobs, developing a specialized workforce, and generating more investment from the life sciences sector, culminating in Catalent’s historic acquisition of Cook Pharmica, and the expansion we are launching today.
Catalent’s commitment to Bloomington will not only create more than 200 new, good-paying jobs, and grow our economy, it enhances our City’s cachet as a medical manufacturing life sciences employment center, which will in turn lend itself to the growth of other biotech and medical manufacturing companies, and greater prosperity and quality of life across the community. We are so confident of the wide-scale economic benefits and long-term sustainability this investment will bring that we gladly supported, and the City Council approved, Catalent’s tax abatement application.
Bloomington has had to reinvent itself over the last few decades. Once upon a time our fortunes were tied to the limestone we quarried from beneath our feet, and the plentiful forests we logged and milled into furniture. By the mid-twentieth century, our economy was bolstered by General Electric, RCA, and Otis Elevator, among others. Like many cities across the Midwest, we have had to grapple with the loss of major manufacturing in recent years. Along with the university, our burgeoning biotech sector has done far more than simply fill the breach.
Transitioning to high-tech and life sciences industries has been essential, and the City deeply values Catalent’s commitment to Bloomington and to Indiana.
We look forward to working with Catalent, serving as a host and a partner in the mutual success of the corporation and our community, for many years to come.
Congratulations, and thank you for your investment in our community.