Pharma Manufacturer Perrigo Expanding in Michigan Despite Challenging Economic Times

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The Perrigo Company (NASDAQ:PRGO) (Allegan, Michigan), one of the largest manufacturers of over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, generic topical pharmaceutical drugs, nutritional products and active pharmaceutical ingredients, is becoming a beacon of hope for Michigan and its economic woes. While the crown jewel of Michigan's economic structure, the automobile industry, struggles to regain its financial stability and dominance, Perrigo is rapidly expanding its operations in Allegan and creating new high-wage jobs.

Before Henry Ford, Louis Chevrolet, Walter Chrysler and William Durant laid the bedrock of Michigan's economy in the early 1900s, Luther Perrigo was formulating the basic strategy for the company, which still bears his name. In 1887, Mr. Perrigo was the proprietor of a general store and operated an apple drying business. He came upon the idea to package and distribute patented remedies and household items for other general stores. As the company prospered, Perrigo would imprint the name of its customers' stores on the products at no extra charge to establish customer loyalty. This bit of genius is still the cornerstone of Perrigo, as it expands its manufacturing arm to become a holistic supplier to a wide variety of global retailers.

Today, Perrigo has more than $1.8 billion in annual revenue, 6,000 employees worldwide (2,500 in Michigan) and is expanding its manufacturing operations in Allegan. The $25 million expansion began in late 2008 and will create approximately 400 jobs for Michigan. The project is scheduled for completion in spring 2010. Also, Perrigo is spending $10 million to upgrade some of its other facilities in Allegan. Dan Vos Construction is performing the general contracting duties for both projects.

Michigan is currently marketing the state as a destination for life science companies. Risking cliche by using the term "paradigm shift" to describe the Michigan economic landscape, it is obvious that Michigan has tremendous capabilities and amenities when it comes to servicing the Pharmaceutical & Biotech Industry. With companies like Perrigo, Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) (New York, New York), Charles River Laboratories (NYSE:CRL) (Wilmington, Massachusetts) and DowPharma firmly entrenched in Michigan, there should be no question of the life sciences pedigree that a state known mostly for automobiles has to offer all other pharmaceutical and biotech concerns to readily assist them in their successes.

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