This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Politics & Government

Lehigh Commissioners OK Grant for Avantor Move

New Jersey chemical manufacturer expected to bring 200 jobs to Upper Saucon headquarters.

An international chemical company expects to be in its new headquarters in Upper Saucon Township this summer, bringing with it 140 jobs that pay an average of $78,500.

Lehigh County commissioners Wednesday cleared the way for Avantor Performance Materials to relocate from Phillipsburg, N.J. by approving a $3 million pass-through grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Economic and Community Development to help pay for its relocation.

“This is a significant addition to our employment base,”  Commissioner Daniel McCarthy said.

Find out what's happening in Bethlehemwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“These are high paying private sector jobs that we’re bringing to Lehigh County and we’re doing that with the assistance of our new governor and in cooperation with our county executive,” said Commissioner Chairman Dean Browning.

Marcy Matlosz, Avantor’s vice president for human resources, thanked the county and said the company planned to be a good corporate citizen. It is expecting to spend more than $6 million for its relocation and expansion in a 57,000 square-foot building at the Stabler Corporate Center near the Promenade shopping center, according to Wayne T. Lynch, Avantor’s director of development engineering.

Find out what's happening in Bethlehemwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In addition to bringing 140 jobs from its current Phillipsburg headquarters, it plans to add another 60 within three years, the company says. The jobs will include positions in marketing, customer service, sales and human resources, Lynch said. About 85 percent of the employees who work at the headquarters now already live in Pennsylvania, Matlosz said.

The company’s manufacturing plant and research and development branch will remain in Phillipsburg. Avantor makes chemical materials that are used in flat screen televisions, computer chips and pharmaceuticals.

Formerly known as Mallinckrodt Baker Inc., Avantor was attracted to the Upper Saucon location by the building, which doubles the company’s current space, and the easy access to Interstate 78. But Matlosz made it clear that the $3 million state grant was key. “It was a critical part of the decision,” she said.

Earlier Wednesday, Avantor spokeswoman Allison K. Hosak said in an e-mail that the company had also been in discussions with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority and the state of New Jersey on possibly expanding there before deciding to come to Pennsylvania.

Not everyone was pleased that public funds were being used to lure a private company to the state. Stan Bialecki, a Tea Party activist from Bethlehem who is a regular at commissioners meetings, said sarcastically, “It’s really so nice to see everybody so enthusiastic to spend state money to buy jobs for Pennsylvania.”

In other business, commissioners had the first reading of a bill to approve a water easement so Lehigh County Authority can connect a water pipe from South Whitehall Township to Allentown.

In making the connection, the authority will be digging up the parking lot at Haines Mill Park. McCarthy said the county had planned to spend $57,000 to improve the Haines Mill parking lot but the authority will do those improvements at no cost to the county as part of the project.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?