Biotech Firm to Expand in County

The county’s second-largest biotechnology company is expanding, moving its Glendale-based headquarters and hundreds of employees to the burgeoning tech corridor in Thousand Oaks.

Hyland Immuno, a division of Baxter International, could be in Thousand Oaks as early as a year from now if a deal with Verizon Communications to buy a building near the Ventura Freeway goes through. The medical company is also looking at a 26-acre parcel of land in eastern Thousand Oaks, a spokeswoman said.

The company has signed a letter of intent to buy the Verizon property but has a period during which it can opt out of the deal. In addition, because Verizon is a communications company, the potential building sale requires Public Utilities Commission approval.

The Baxter division already has a manufacturing plant in Thousand Oaks with 540 employees, making it the county’s largest biotech employer behind Amgen. The headquarters relocation will bring an additional 400 employees, with the possibility of further expanding the operation, said Tali Kaplan of Hyland Immuno.

“We certainly wouldn’t take up a building that could accommodate more people without plans for growth,” she said. The Verizon building has room for about 1,400 employees, she said.

Hyland Immuno reported $2 billion in revenue last year, and it hopes to become a $10-billion business by 2010, Kaplan said. The division makes pharmaceuticals for patients with immune system deficiencies and hemophilia, and manufactures vaccines and treatments for wounds and burns.

The company’s relocation should cement Thousand Oaks’ place as a biotechnology hub, said regional economist Mark Schniepp. The city is also home to Amgen, the fourth largest employer in the county with nearly 5,000 employees.

“We’ve been surprised given the presence of the largest biotech company in the world, that it hasn’t developed into a cluster faster,” Schniepp said. “Now, finally, we’re seeing some evidence of a more bona fide regional biotechnology sector.”

The only problem may be a lack of housing for new employees who move to Ventura County. “This is all the more reason for Thousand Oaks to permit more housing--to keep people off the freeways,” he said.

A spokesman for Verizon said he estimates the land deal will be completed within a year. The building was too big for the number of Verizon employees in Thousand Oaks, he said. The workers would be transferred to other offices in the city.

He would not disclose any financial details of a potential sale.

Hyland Immuno chose Thousand Oaks over sites in Burbank, Pasadena and Switzerland for relocation, officials said.

Gary Wartik, Thousand Oaks’ economic development director, said the move would keep more people from having to commute from outside the city. About 57% of city residents also work in Thousand Oaks, he said.