Spanish company proposes to build headquarters in Ames

Laboratorias Hipra, a company that makes animal vaccines, has proposed to build a 90 million-dollar headquarters building in Ames, Iowa.

June 13, 2011

A Spanish animal health company proposes building a $90 million U.S. headquarters and manufacturing plant in Ames.

Laboratorias Hipra, which makes animal vaccines, proposes building the facility in the Iowa State University Research Park, with approval of about $2.4 million in state and local incentives.

The boards considering the incentives meet next week.

The company said in a release that it has searched throughout the Midwest for a site. The project would initially create about 60 jobs, mainly focused on producing vaccines. Construction would begin in the fall, with first production batches expected by 2014.

Company said it also would establish a research and development unit in the ISU park that would be operational before year’s end. It would employ about 20 people in its first phase.

Hipra plans to develop “new innovative vaccines” at its Midwest operation, in collaboration with U.S. universities.

“The combination of the abundant animal health infrastructure along with Iowa State University makes this a compelling place for us to locate our operations,” said David Nogareda, Hipra president, in a statement.

Established in 1954, Hipra is a multi-national company, with its headquarters in Amer, Spain. Hipra researches, develops, manufactures and sells a wide range of pharmaceutical products, but focuses its research and marketing in vaccines for the prevention of diseases, mainly in food producing animals.

 – Edited by Chris Vavra, Plant Engineering, www.plantengineering.com