Meet Philadelphia’s Greatest Life Science Industry Workplaces for 2023

Ecolab, Johnson & Johnson, and several Philadelphia companies in the life sciences industry were recognized as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces 2023.

By Chris Frew

August 1, 2023

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Newsweek and data firm Plant-A Insights Group put together America’s Greatest Workplaces 2023, highlighting companies that prioritize employee satisfaction. Of the 100 highlighted, these workplaces are found to pay competitive salaries, promote equality and diversity, and foster a culture of innovation. Employees in such environments feel a sense of belonging and optimism, leading to higher motivation and engagement. Employers who focus on nurturing great workplaces often benefit from increased productivity, lower turnover rates, and improved organizational stability, positively impacting the bottom line. Moreover, studies have shown that happy employees experience better physical and mental health, leading to fewer sick days and less burnout.

To develop the ranking, Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group surveyed companies employing at least 1,000 people about their employment experience and also consulted more than 389,000 company reviews.

Let’s take a look at who was recognized in the Greater Philly Region as America’s Greatest Workplaces. 

Ecolab

Ecolab is a global solutions provider leading brands in the food, healthcare, hospitality and industrial markets to help make the world cleaner, safer and healthier, protecting people and vital resources.  Headquartered in Minnesota, Ecolab acquired King of Prussia-based Purolite in 2021 to expand its life sciences business. Purolite is a Leading Global Provider of Fast-Growing, High Value Separation and Purification Solutions to Life Sciences and Critical Industrial Markets

In 2022, with the help of PROTECS design/build expertise, Purolite opened a new state-of-the-art facility that was projected to add 75 new jobs to the region as the fifth manufacturing facility for Purolite, increasing the company’s production by a total of 67%. The facility was also located at one of PROTECS three Innovation Centers in PA that are designed to help life science companies to scale and meet their mission.

In June of 2023, Ecolab announced a further expansion of the Purolite business with a new biologics resin manufacturing facility in Landenberg, Pennsylvania near Wilmington, Delaware that will add more than 150 skilled jobs in the next five years. The Landenberg facility will be Purolite’s fourth location in Pennsylvania, further solidifying their commitment to the creation of new skilled jobs and the growth of the state’s economy. 

Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson is a diversified healthcare company headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The corporation includes some 250 subsidiary companies with operations in 60 countries and products sold in over 175 countries. 

Johnson & Johnson had worldwide sales of $93.8 billion during the calendar year 2021. In addition to this year’s Newsweek rankings, this is the 21st year in a row, that Fortune has named Johnson & Johnson as a Top 50 All-Star on its list of the World’s Most Admired Companies.

Among its operating companies, several of them have operations in the greater Philadelphia region, including; Depuy Synthes (West Chester), Jensen (Malvern), JLABS located at Pennovation in Philadelphia, and a Consumer division in (Fort Washington).

Co-located at the Depuy Synthes site is the Johnson & Johnson Institute, a place where healthcare professionals, sales consultants and employees from around the world can come to learn, connect and share knowledge with the common goal of improving overall patient care, including surgical and clinical outcomes.

QIAGEN

QIAGEN North American Holdings, the American division of the global life sciences company that is a leader in providing molecular sample and assay technologies and services for cell and gene therapy companies, received a 5-star ranking and was recognized under the health care products category. The Qiagen US HQ is in Germantown, Maryland but has a client services team in Philadelphia to support their many clients in the region.

The company has a strong history for providing a very employee-centric work environment and has built a strong reputation in the market as a top employer. This is evident by a strong employee retention which is further illustrated in the Great Place to Work certification page that cites 40% of Qiagen employees have been with the company for 6 years or more, 10% have been onboard for more than 16 years. There are many systems and programs that the company invests in to create this great culture, including their community service program that will pay employees for their service time as covered in a previous BioBuzz article.

In addition to Newsweek’s recognition, Qiagen-US was also named a “Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality” after earning a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s 2022 Corporate Equality Index (CEI). The results of the 2022 CEI showcase companies who are helping advance and promote LGBTQ+ friendly workplace policies both in the U.S. and abroad. 

Other top workplace rankings

Several Philly companies made the Top Workplaces 2023 rankings and the Philadelphia Business Journal also recognized the region’s top employers through their Best Places to Work program.  Companies recognized in those lists include:

Iovance Biotherapeutics 

Topped the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Top Workplaces 2023 in the Midsize Companies category, with 150-499 employees in the region. The company has located their state of the art cGMP cell therapy center at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, where they develop and produce the first individualised, one-time cell therapy for a solid tumor, Lifileucel. In May 2023 the company announced that the FDA has accepted Iovance Biotherapeutics’ biologics license application (BLA) for lifileucel, to treat advanced melanoma. It has been granted priority review by the FDA, with a target action date of 25 November this year, under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA).

Iovance is very committed to workforce development and has partnered on the Biomedical Technician Training Program run by Wistar Institute that creates a biotech career path for Philadelphians with a High School degree, and has committed to hiring technicians from the program. Tracy Winton, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc. shared with BioBuzz, “We are committed to promoting inclusivity, equity and diversity at Iovance and within the life sciences industry. We are excited to help introduce a wider range of Philadelphians to career options in biotech and hope this new program can serve as a model to our industry peers to increase inclusivity in the biotech workforce and its career development opportunities.”

Aclaris Therapeutics 

Aclaris Therapeutics (NASDAQ: ACRS) also topped the Inquirer’s Top Workplaces 2023 in the Small Companies category, with 149 employees or fewer in the region. Aclaris Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel drug candidates for immuno-inflammatory diseases.

CAI 

CAI is a 40 year old privately held company employing 8,500+ associates. They pride themselves on a culture that provides their associates the freedom and the focus to do what’s right for our clients, colleagues, and communities. They combine their dual strengths of talent and technology to deliver lasting results across the public and commercial sectors. For over a decade, they have also been a national trailblazer in bringing neurodiversity to the enterprise workplace. 

Verismo Therapeutics

No. 3 on the PBJ Best Places to Work list for Micro companies. Located at the CIC Labs Philadelphia, Verismo Therapeutics recently raised $17M pre-Series A to advance their solid tumor targeting CAR T trials.