Biomerics expansion will mean 380 new jobs for Salt Lake County

A medical device manufacturer will expand in Salt Lake County and add 380 jobs over the next eight years.

Biomerics LLC made the announcement last week after being approved for a $3 million tax credit incentive from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) board. The project will be a 200,000-square-foot corporate headquarters and manufacturing facility.

Formed in 2009, the company specializes in the design, development and production of medical devices for diagnostic and interventional procedures for the cardiovascular, structural heart, cardiac rhythm management and vascular access markets. It has five locations nationwide, including its headquarters in Salt Lake City. The company has not determined the exact location for the expansion.

“Being in the medical device space and being in this community is very important to us,” Travis Sessions, founder and chief executive officer, told the board after the incentive approval. “As we went through the decision process, there was no question this is where we want to be. … We look forward to being in this community and contributing. It’s important to us, it’s where we’re from and it’s where we want to be.”

In a prepared statement, Sessions said Utah “provides a unique business environment and community for the growth of the company.”

Jerry Oldroyd, chairman of the GOED board’s incentives committee, said the new jobs will include project managers, engineers, operators and technicians.

Oldroyd said Utah faced competition for the $38.5 million expansion from Minnesota. Biomerics announced last June it would build a new facility in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, for its Biomerics Advanced Catheter division. In February, it said its new Biomerics Advanced Laser division would be at that facility and this month said it would also house its new Biomerics Advanced Extrusion division.

At its Salt Lake City headquarters, the company specializes in biopolymerization, medical material compounding, injection molding and medical device assembly. Its Biosonix operations in Salt Lake City specialize in the development and manufacturing of ultrasonic medical devices.

The company “has become a major player in the industry” and “been a really good corporate citizen,” Oldroyd said.

“Biomerics is a Utah success story and a major player in both manufacturing and life sciences industries,” said Val Hale, executive director of GOED. “We are grateful for their commitment to support the continued growth of these industries in the state.”

“Biomerics will bring additional strength, not only to the manufacturing industry in Utah, but also to the thriving life sciences industry in the state,” said Theresa Foxley, president and chief executive officer of the Economic Development Corporation of Utah.

The expansion is expected to result in $133 million in wages over eight years and $15 million in new state tax revenue during that time.