Worcester Business Journal

10 Worcester Business Journal | November 7, 2016 | wbjournal.com I t's no secret that the Massachusetts life sciences indus- try is booming. New labs and company expansions within the state are announced almost monthly, and 17 of the world's top 20 biopharmaceutical companies have a physical presence here. The biophar- maceutical industry employed 63,025 people in 2015, who earned a collective $9.3 billion statewide. But the ripple effects of the life sci- ence boom can be felt across other industries, including in construction. Since 2007, more than 9 million square feet of laboratory space has been added in Massachusetts, and 4 million of that alone has come online since 2013, according to the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MassBio). Today, some multi-specialty construc- tion firms have come to rely on the life sciences market as a steady source of business when other markets might fluctuate, construction officials said. "This type of market sustains the construction industry in Massachusetts, because there's always funding, always research, and there always seems to be work in the sector," said Robert Petrucelli, president and CEO of the Associated General Contractors of Massachusetts. Several Worcester County and MetroWest construction firms, includ- ing some focused entirely on life scienc- es and some multi-specialty companies, said they have ramped up staffing and focused heavily on professional develop- ment to keep up with demand from the always-evolv- ing life sciences sector. "It's a very con- sistent industry in the part of the country that we live in," said Brian Hamilton, project executive at Milford-based Consigli Construction Co., Inc. "It's constantly evolving." Development boom, aided by the state Elizabeth Steele, director of econom- ic development and global affairs at MassBio, said construction for the life sciences industry continues to grow, as the industry grows statewide. The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, a statewide industry organiza- tion, has tax incentives that can help companies expand their physical foot- print. In its 2016 fiscal year, the MLSC's Job Creation Tax Incentive Program alone awarded more than $20 million in tax incentives to 28 compa- nies that pledged to create 1,395 new jobs by the end of the year. At Gilbane Building Co., a Providence construction and real estate develop- ment firm with an office in Boston's Seaport District and nationwide opera- tions, life sciences accounts for about 10 percent of total business, or about $500 million a year for the $5 billion firm, said James Busam, the firm's vice president and head of the national client team. Gilbane's portfolio includes projects at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Worcester North High School. Right now, the state's life sciences boom has kept business pretty consistent in that sector at Gilbane. Since many fac- tors, including government regulations and health care, all impact the life sci- ences industry, it's prone to fluctuations, and that's why Gilbane has its hands in several sectors, Busam said. But at the same time, life sciences has held steady at 10 percent of business over the past two to three years, and Busam said he expects it will stay there for awhile. Construction firms are cashing in on the booming life science sector's need for up-to-code, specifically designed facilities Building bioscience BY LAURA FINALDI Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer Brian Hamilton, project executive, Consigli Construction Co. Central Mass tax incentive recipients These companies received a tax incentive through the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center's Job Creation Tax Incentive Program. Company Location Incentive Jobs created Source: MLSC Staying sharp One of the challenges of constructing for the life sciences industry is making sure your workforce is up to speed on the latest needs or the newest technolo- gies. Gilbane, which has 2,500 employees nationwide, is able to bring in staff from other offices to get the job done when necessary, Busam said. But the firm also recruits from schools like WPI. "When you have that many employ- ees, you find the ones with the right experience and assign them," he said. "We have redeployed staff that had that expertise from different parts of the country and put them to work here." To stay sharp, employees at Milford- based Consigli have Consigli Construction University, where profes- sional development trainings are usual- ly held twice a week in a state-of-the-art meeting space right at headquarters. But workers also receive training through the Biomanufacturing Education and Training Center at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where they take classes specific to advancing themselves as workers in life sciences construction. They also send employees to conferences and seminars. Hamilton, from Consigli, said this An employee works at Moderna Therapeutics in Cambridge. Framingham-based architecture, engineering and construction firm DPS and its architectural partner TRIA are building a new clinical manufacturing facility in Norwood for Moderna. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y LFB USA, Inc. Framingham $720,000 48 AbbVie Worcester $525,000 35 Nitto Denko Avecia Inc. Milford $450,000 30 Masy Systems, Inc. Pepperell $150,000 10 Web Industries Boston, Inc. Holliston $150,000 10

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