NewHavenBIZ

n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m | J u l y 2 0 2 2 | n e w h a v e n B I Z 9 The company that builds and installs the critical systems in virtually every type of facility is the same company you can rely on to maintain them. For over over 50 years, our clients have trusted us to deliver end-to-end facilities solutions, so they can focus on their core business. We design, install, and maintain systems in: Industrial, Manufacturing, Commercial, Higher Education, Healthcare, and Pharmaceutical facilities. WE FOCUS ON YOUR FACILITIES— SO YOU CAN FOCUS ON YOUR BUSINESS. 860.871.1111 Toll Free: 800.741.6367 nemsi.com MECHANICAL | ELECTRICAL | PLUMBING | SHEET METAL | BUILDING AUTOMATION | FACILITIES SERVICES License #'s: E1-0125666 S1-302974 P1-203519 F1-10498 SM1-192 MC-1134 What are the company's plans in New Haven? I have lived in the Greater New Haven community for nine years, and I absolutely love living and working here. I am delighted that AstraZeneca has made a purposeful investment in our research center of excellence here in New Haven. We are growing. We have hired 107 people into the New Haven site in 2022, and we have another 50 open positions, and we keep adding more. Sixty of those new hires are in R&D, so we are adding new scientists to our team here in New Haven. To accommodate all of these new colleagues, we are going to need to grow our footprint. So we are doubling our footprint here in New Haven by moving into additional space in the new building in 101 College. Have you been able to attract enough talent? We have hired 60 people in R&D and 107 people into New Haven so far this year. We are not having trouble attracting people. And I think that is because we have such an exciting story to tell. How many total employees do you anticipate having in New Haven once the 101 College St. project is finished? We have 550 people right now in the New Haven site. We are rapidly growing. I can't quite predict how many we will have by the end of 2023 when construction is finished, but I do know that all of our groups are expanding. How many floors will you occupy at 101 College? Alexion will have one-and-a-half floors, so we will be on floor one and floor seven. e reason we have chosen to do that is because some of the science we do is highly specialized, and it is best suited to space on the first floor. What appealed to the company about the 101 College building? We really do need more lab space here in New Haven. To be able to have the kind of square footage that we need, moving into a new building was the obvious choice for us. e fact that it is directly across the street from where we currently work now just adds to the appeal. We are very, very excited to be working with Carter Winstanley, who also created the building we are in now. Why New Haven? We have an excellent team here in New Haven, and we have been very fortunate to be able to recruit top talent to this site in New Haven, because it is a vibrant biotech community that is constantly growing. Is the company committed to staying in New Haven for the long term? Absolutely, and I am thrilled about that. Alexion does not have research space anywhere outside of New Haven. is will always be our research center of excellence. is year marks the 30th anniversary for Alexion. Alexion was born here in New Haven with scientists from Yale building a startup in Science Park, and 30 years later, this company has become a multinational leader in rare disease. We are very excited about both our history and where we are going in the future. What is the company primarily focused on for its research? Alexion is and continues to be focused on rare diseases. We create new therapies for patients and their families who are dealing with rare disease and have few other options. We chose to focus on rare diseases because it is such a huge unmet medical need. Will Alexion be targeting additional rare diseases soon? Absolutely, unfortunately I can't speak to that. It is confidential. I can say that we are really excited about our continually growing portfolio, and our ability to serve additional patients with rare diseases. What are some of the biggest challenges the company faces? From a science perspective, one of our big challenges is that rare disease is rare. Finding the patients who suffer from those diseases, so that we can better understand the physiology of the disease and create the right therapeutic, is tricky. at is also what makes it so scientifically interesting. n Laboratory workers at Alexion's research space at 100 College St., New Haven.

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