Idexx Laboratories appears poised for a major expansion in Westbrook that would require millions of dollars of investment and bring hundreds of new jobs to the city.
The company has declined to publicly discuss its plans, but City Administrator Jerre Bryant said the plans under consideration would require a $30 million investment by Idexx and would add up to 500 new jobs.
“Our goal is to keep them in Westbrook and find ways to help them grow in Westbrook,” said Bryant.
An Idexx spokeswoman declined to discuss the company’s plans. The company issued a written statement saying it is looking to expand, and focusing on Westbrook, which has been home to Idexx since 1991.
The company said it has outgrown its current headquarters at the Five Star Industrial Park on Eisenhower Drive and it is looking for a larger space. “We are continuing to grow, so we are obviously looking at the need for a significant expansion,” said the company in its statement.
The publicly traded biotechnology company, which primarily focuses on veterinary products, employs approximately 3,000 people worldwide, with about 1,200 employed in Westbrook. Bryant said the jobs at Idexx paid well. While he did not have exact wage information, he said he believed the company’s pay scale was above the state average for similar jobs.
Bryant said the city has been working with Idexx for some time on its expansion plans, saying Idexx’s growth would be good for the city as well as the company. The company now leases 300,000 square feet in the industrial park and is looking into leasing an additional 75,000 square feet in the same building, Bryant said. The 75,000 square feet is the space that was occupied by Sanmina SCI until the company pulled out of the city in late 2004.
In addition, Idexx has signed what Bryant called a “short-term” lease for 55,000 square feet in the neighboring Colonel Westbrook Industrial Park. Bryant said it was his understanding Idexx would use the space until it was able to move into a larger building in the Five Star Industrial Park.
In its statement, Idexx said company officials have been working with city officials as well as the Maine Department of Community and Economic Development to make sure any expansion plans make financial sense for the company’s stockholders.
Bryant said the city is “exploring all alternatives” to ensure Idexx remains and continues to grow in Westbrook. Since Idexx would have to justify spending millions of dollars to expand, any major expansion in the city would likely include some sort of tax break for Idexx.
Bryant said the city has not yet put together a tax incentive plan to present to the company, but he would not rule one out, citing the difficulty Maine cities and towns have in attracting large businesses like Idexx. “It’s very difficult to locate and expand businesses in Maine,” he said.
The millions of dollars and hundreds of jobs an Idexx expansion would bring to the city would outweigh any tax breaks given to the company, Bryant said. He said Idexx is a strong company that has a presence in the city for quite some time and the city should do what it could to keep the company in Westbrook.
“They’re what we want,” Bryant said. “They’re what we need, and they’re already here.”
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