Tamarac, FL ‐ A Venezuelan multinational pharmaceutical company has announced that it is relocating to Tamarac by establishing operations as a new U.S. company, Unipharma, LLC.

Unipharma will use state-of-the-art, proprietary technology to manufacture pharmaceuticals, functional foods and nutraceutical products at its newly renovated facility, bringing 100 jobs to Broward County. These jobs represent an average salary of $49,555 per year (115 percent of the annual average wage in the county). The addition of these pharmaceutical manufacturing jobs to the local economy helped secure Unipharma a total of $500,000 in performance based incentives from the state, county and city through the State of Florida’s Qualified Target Industry tax incentive program over the next seven years.  Additionally, the company will make a $50 million capital investment in facilities and equipment between now and 2015.

According to the company, Unipharma will provide patients and end-consumers with a new delivery system for liquid nutraceutical and pharmaceutical products manufactured with Blow-Fill-Seal technology. This new delivery system will reduce accidental over-the-counter overdoses which are responsible for more than 15,000 annual deaths in the United States alone.

In addition to Greater Fort Lauderdale, other locations under consideration included Madrid, Spain, and Atlanta, Georgia. The company cited connectivity to foreign markets via the port and airport, a growing life sciences cluster and focus on contract manufacturing in the pharmaceutical and neutraceutical industries, as well as the ability to attract top talent due to quality of life as top advantages for relocation to Broward.

Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity, Enterprise Florida, the City of Tamarac, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, and the Broward County Office of Economic and Small Business Development worked together to locate the company to Tamarac.

“We are happy to say that we have begun another chapter in our company’s history with our new manufacturing site in Broward County. Our new facility will not only provide jobs for the local community, but it will support Florida’s growing Life Science industry as well,” said Reinaldo Santa Marta, CEO of Unipharma.

“Unipharma would like to thank all of the institutions involved in making this project a reality; their support has been invaluable. The local and state government is aggressively working towards attracting new projects to the state, and we look forward to continue working with the State of Florida on all of our future projects,” said Public Relations Manager Ralph Echeverria

Florida Governor Rick Scott said, “We are excited to announce that Unipharma has chosen to locate their pharmaceutical headquarters in Broward County. Our policies for Florida families and businesses to succeed are working. Florida’s unemployment rate is below the national average, and we’ve created more than 330,000 private-sector jobs since December 2010. The new jobs being created by Unipharma are another example that IT’S WORKING in Florida.”

Tamarac Mayor Beth Talabisco said, "Unipharma and Tamarac are a perfect match. We offer the facilities and infrastructure, skilled workforce and quality of life so critical to meeting their goal of becoming an industry leader. We look forward to a continued partnership with the Alliance with additional successful outcomes, as more and more businesses come to realize why Tamarac is "The City For Your Life."

Broward County Mayor Kristin Jacobs said, “The relocation of Unipharma, LLC to Broward County underscores Broward County’s position as a world-class destination for Life Sciences companies. This project will create significant economic impacts for our community, as the company is expected to occupy a 135,000-square foot facility, create 100 new high skill/high wage jobs, and make a capital investment of $50 million. As Broward County continues its strategy of attracting new businesses from around the globe, we are pleased to welcome Unipharma, LLC to Tamarac.”

Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance President and CEO Bob Swindell stated, “We are extremely pleased that Unipharma will locate its new international headquarters in Tamarac.  The mission of the Alliance is to maintain and grow the presence of target industry companies in the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County area that can take advantage of our highly educated and diverse workforce, transportation access and highly rated business and personal tax climate.  Unipharma will be an important part of our strong and growing cluster of life science companies.” 

The Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance (www.gflalliance.org) is Broward County’s official public/private partnership for economic development. Its mission is to lead Broward County in building a stronger and more diverse economy by stimulating the creation of new jobs and capital investment while facilitating the growth and retention of businesses in Broward County.  Services offered by the Alliance include assistance with business relocation or expansion and site selection; incentive programs and information; market research; and serving as a liaison for workforce development between WorkForce One Employment Solutions, educational institutions and the business community.  To learn more, call (954) 524-3113.