Kite Flying High in Frederick County
In April of 2019, Kite, a Gilead Company, announced their decision to locate to Frederick County, MD and open a new manufacturing facility on a 20-acre site located at the Urbana Corporate Center. A lot of progress has happened since then; Kite finished their brand new 279,000 SF biologics manufacturing facility in April 2021. To learn more, Solash Aviles and Jodie Bollinger from the Frederick County Office of Economic Development met with Chris McDonald, Senior Vice President, Global Head of Manufacturing at Kite and Jim Jackson, Vice President, Manufacturing Operations and Site Head at Kite.
Kite chose Frederick County after a site selection process that looked at several different states. Incentive packages played a part, but what really stood out for them was the County’s Planning and Permitting Department. Frederick was able to offer Turbo Fast Track Permitting to expedite their development process while adhering to all established standards, and this was essential to their decision. “Frederick County’s Permitting Process was unbelievable. The construction went smoothly, and being able to send the inspector out, especially during a pandemic… I really can’t say enough about how great the County was to work with during that period,” shared Chris McDonald. Chris also mentioned that another asset to this area is the workforce and their knowledge on cell and gene therapy, “Maryland is one of the hotbeds in the country for cell and gene therapy, especially in the manufacturing space.”
Click here to read more via the Frederick County Maryland Office of Economic Development.
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
BioBuzz is a community led, experience focused, biotech and life sciences media and events company. BioBuzz highlights regional breaking news, industry professionals, jobs, events, and resources for business and career growth. Their weekly newsletter is subscribed to by thousands in the BioHealth Capital Region and Greater Philadelphia as the go-to for industry updates.
