Voice of Business Blog

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that Unither Pharmaceuticals, a French-based pharmaceutical contract and development manufacturing company, will invest $106 million to consolidate, renovate, and update its facility in the Town of Henrietta, Monroe County as part of an effort to modernize its New York State operations. The significant investment will support a 43,000 square-foot expansion to accommodate new equipment, expand warehouse capabilities, and update the facility’s laboratories in a more energy-efficient building. In addition, Unither will demolish portions of the Jefferson Road facility to improve operational efficiencies, reduce carbon emissions, and implement other energy cost-saving measures. In exchange for a state investment, Unither has committed to creating up to 180 high-quality jobs over the next five years, in addition to 300 employees currently on site.

“Unither’s major investment in Monroe County will help to further establish Upstate New York as not only a leader in next-generation manufacturing, but also as a pioneer in green technology,” Governor Hochul said. “More and more, businesses are looking to New York as the place to grow, create, and innovate, and my administration will continue to work with any business looking to call our state home and help drive our economy into the 21st century.”

Unither Pharmaceuticals CEO Eric Goupil said, “We are extremely pleased to benefit from the support of Empire State Development, Monroe County, RG & E, and Greater Rochester Enterprise in extending our facility while reducing our carbon footprint. Unither’s purpose is to provide innovative, competitive, and easy to use solutions to simplify the life of patients around the world while reducing our Carbon footprint and our impact on the environment and taking care of our employees to offer them job opportunities and careers possibilities. This expansion will enable our Rochester plant to increase its capacity on preservative-free sterile products and will allow us to support our customers in their growth. Thanks to the dynamism of all local stakeholders, we are confident to reach a leadership position in the US.”

Unither Pharmaceuticals, which purchased the Monroe County facility in 2013, produces several lines of medications and medication delivery options including, Preservative-Free Blow-Fill-Seal products for eye drops and inhalation; liquid stick packs for oral solutions and suspensions; bottled cough and cold syrup and capsules with extended release. In addition to its manufacturing capabilities, the company also offers a wide range of services to support pharmaceutical drug development, clinical studies, regulatory support and technical transfer prior to commercialization. Founded 30 years ago and headquartered in Paris, France, Unither maintains manufacturing facilities in the US, France, Brazil and China, employing more than 2,300 people worldwide.

Empire State Development is supporting Unither with its modernization plan with up to $7 million in through the performance-based Excelsior Jobs Tax Credit program. Monroe County, Rochester Gas & Electric and Greater Rochester Enterprise are also assisting with the project.

Empire State Development President, CEO & Commissioner Hope Knight said, “New York State is committed to supporting innovative companies that are dedicated to energy-efficient operations as they build their businesses here. Unither’s climate friendly upgrade of its Henrietta facility reflects the global pharmaceutical leader’s commitment to the Finger Lakes region and its alignment with Governor Hochul’s vision for a sustainable economy that protects the environment while growing New York jobs and opportunity.”

State Senator Jeremy Cooney said, “Today’s announcement is more proof that companies are choosing Upstate communities like Monroe County to build and grow their companies. This is a win-win for job growth and a cleaner environment, and I thank Governor Hochul and Empire State Development for promoting economic growth in Henrietta and across our region.”

Assemblymember Harry Bronson said, “I thank Unither for continuing their robust investment in Henrietta, and especially doing so with our climate needs in mind. As Labor Chair, I am also gratified to hear of Unither’s commitment to expanding workforce and career opportunities for our families. Our economic development investments must be matched by investments in workforce development, especially as we move towards a more equitable, inclusive economy for our region.”

Monroe County Executive Adam Bello said, “I'm grateful for Gov. Hochul's continuing efforts to make investments that help create and sustain high-paying jobs in our region. Unither's decision to expand its local operation reflects their confidence in Monroe County's ability to provide the skilled workforce they need to grow. Monroe County is in the second phase of our Climate Action Plan that seeks to reduce community-wide GHG emissions including those emitted by private businesses, we commend Unither for their efforts to expand while reducing their carbon footprint.”

Town of Henrietta Supervisor Stephen Schultz said, “The Town of Henrietta is working with Unither on how best to design the site plan to maximize fire safety while also creating additional green islands in the interior of their industrial complex. The Town is also working with RTS to improve bus service to this area, with RTS modifying bus routes and the Town extending sidewalks to new bus shelters, since many workers at Unither, and other nearby industries, ride the bus to work, further helping the environment. The new production capability and new jobs will be a big boon for the Town of Henrietta, as well as the County and State. We look forward to Unither breaking ground on the new facility.”

CEO of RG&E’s parent company Avangrid, Pedro Azagra said, “RG&E has a long history of serving communities in the Rochester region. Part of serving those communities is investing in businesses long-term. We recognize the challenges of climate change in the 21st century and are pleased to support Unither Pharmaceuticals as it looks to reduce its carbon footprint. Together we can help lead the way in energy efficiency and economic growth in New York State and across the globe.”

Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce President and CEO and Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council Co-Chair, Bob Duffy, said, "We are excited to see Unither Pharmaceuticals making a significant investment in Monroe County, further strengthening our region's position as a hub for advanced manufacturing and life sciences. We look forward to supporting Unither's continued growth and success."

Greater Rochester Enterprise President and CEO Matt Hurlbutt, “We are pleased that Unither Pharmaceuticals continues to expand its presence in the Greater Rochester, NY region, tapping into the rich pool of talent specializing in advanced packaging and life sciences. With the rising demand for Unither Pharmaceuticals products, we are confident that the innovative ethos of the Greater Rochester, NY will play an integral role in the company’s success.”

For additional information, visit the Unither website.

Accelerating Finger Lakes Forward
Today’s announcement complements “Finger Lakes Forward,” the region’s comprehensive strategy to generate robust economic growth and community development. The regionally designed plan focuses on investing in key industries including photonics, agriculture‎ and food production, and advanced manufacturing.

About Empire State Development
Empire State Development (ESD) is New York’s chief economic development agency. The mission of ESD is to promote a vigorous and growing economy, encourage the creation of new job and economic opportunities, increase revenues to the State and its municipalities, and achieve stable and diversified local economies. Through the use of loans, grants, tax credits and other forms of financial assistance, ESD strives to enhance private business investment and growth to spur job creation and support prosperous communities across New York State. ESD is also the primary administrative agency overseeing the Regional Economic Development Councils and the marketing of “I LOVE NY" the State’s iconic tourism brand. For more information on Regional Councils and Empire State Development, visit www.regionalcouncils.ny.gov and www.esd.ny.gov.

New York State's Nation-Leading Climate Plan
New York State's nation-leading climate agenda calls for an orderly and just transition that creates family-sustaining jobs, continues to foster a green economy across all sectors and ensures that at least 35 percent, with a goal of 40 percent, of the benefits of clean energy investments are directed to disadvantaged communities. Guided by some of the nation’s most aggressive climate and clean energy initiatives, New York is on a path to achieving a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and economy-wide carbon neutrality by mid-century. A cornerstone of this transition is New York's unprecedented clean energy investments, including more than $50 billion in 66 large-scale renewable and transmission projects across the state, $6.8 billion to reduce building emissions, $3.3 billion to scale up solar, more than $1 billion for clean transportation initiatives, and over $2 billion in NY Green Bank commitments. These and other investments are supporting more than 170,000 jobs in New York’s clean energy sector in 2022 and over 3,000 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality, New York also adopted zero-emission vehicle regulations, including requiring all new passenger cars and light-duty trucks sold in the State be zero emission by 2035. Partnerships are continuing to advance New York’s climate action with 400 registered and more than 100 certified Climate Smart Communities, nearly 500 Clean Energy Communities, and the State’s largest community air monitoring initiative in 10 disadvantaged communities across the state to help target air pollution and combat climate change.