Columbia attracts animal health companies, jobs

COLUMBIA – As a member of the Kansas City Area Development Council's animal health corridor, Columbia is at the forefront of one of the few industries that has grown in the last two years.

Click here to see locations of the animal corridor.

Lynn Parman, vice president of life sciences and technology at the Kansas City development council, said the animal health industry grew more than 7 percent last year. The corridor, which stretches from Manhattan, Kan., to Columbia, boasts 34 percent of the $16.8 billion a year industry, translating to the largest concentration of animal health companies in the world, Parman said.

"It's an industry that's not as impacted by the global economy," Parman said. "People still want to keep their pets healthy and their food supply safe. We continue to have positive sales growth year after year."

Columbia owes its status as the eastern-most point of the cluster mostly to the resources available at MU. Parman said the globally-known MU School of Veterinary Medicine and the Life Science Business Incubator at Monsanto Place have been key recruitment tools to the animal health hub. MU joined the corridor a few years before the Regional Economic Development Inc. got the city involved, Parman said.

But the relationship works both ways. Parman explained a specialized work force is available to Columbia. The corridor currently employs more than 13,000 people. She also said the city has access to a "cluster of research" available at other labs and many service providers familiar with animal health

In February, UK-based PetScreen, Ltd., which specializes in research of aging-related animal diseases, voiced its intent to use Columbia as its U.S. headquarters, leasing 800 square feet of lab space in the business incubator. Bernie Andrews, executive vice president of Regional Economic Development Inc., or REDI, said in an e-mail that the city "put together an attractive financing and incentive package" to lure the company here. It didn't hurt, Andrews said, that PetScreen's technical director felt comfortable here.

Andrews said the city is working to attract three other animal health companies.

Such businesses will create dozens of jobs, ranging in skill and education level. Jobs include veterinarians, lab technicians, sales representatives, marketing gurus and office support staff. PetScreen expects to create at least 30 new positions, according to a news release.

Andrews said new projects could also use local companies and one might erect a small manufacturing operation. This coupled with job creation is Columbia's vision of its future in the animal health corridor.

Parman said plans for the industry cluster are simply to continue expanding its company base and advancing the well-being of animals.