City Council to Consider Incentive to Support Catalent Expansion

The City of Bloomington Economic Development Commission has recommended that the Bloomington Common Council approve a proposed tax abatement associated with investments being considered at Catalent’s South Patterson Drive facility that would potentially add up to 1,000 new biotech jobs in Bloomington over the next five years. 
 
Catalent is examining future investment options to support the growth of its biomanufacturing sterile fill/finish, packaging, and quality control laboratories at its Bloomington facility. The abatement proposal under consideration is performance-based and would require an annual review at both the EDC and Common Common Council to ensure the company is meeting its commitments.
 
Catalent purchased the former Cook Pharmica operations in 2017, which included one building and employed approximately 800 full-time staff members. Catalent received a tax abatement from the city for a 2019 expansion project, which estimated 200 new full-time jobs, but in actuality totaled 948. The 2019 abatement supported the company’s new fill/finish and packaging facility, for which it was awarded LEED Silver certification in 2021. Catalent currently employs over 3,000 full-time employees in Bloomington, where it manufactures over 100 biologic medicines, including COVID-19 vaccines for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

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In 2020, Catalent worked with local schools to expand opportunities for future employees through the Biomanufacturing Apprenticeship Program–created in partnership with Hoosier Hills Career Center, Ivy Tech Bloomington, and local life sciences manufacturers, and funded in part by Mayor Hamilton’s 2020 Recover Forward initiative.
 
Mayor John Hamilton stated, “Catalent’s role in containing the COVID-19 pandemic has been global in scope, and their growing presence and positive impact here in Bloomington has been community-wide. We sincerely appreciate the chance to work with an employer of this caliber who is choosing this place to make the largest investment in technology, equipment, and new jobs in our recent history. I believe that as a city, we should be doing what we can to lay the groundwork for them to continue to grow and thrive right here in Bloomington.”
 
Catalent has experienced significant growth since its arrival in Bloomington in 2017, and this proposed abatement, if approved, would help incent their commitment to and investment in the Bloomington community for decades to come. The abatement, as recommended by the EDC, will be reviewed by City Council on February 16 and March 2.