Pharmaceutical firm's new HQ to create 150 new jobs - Chicago News and Weather | FOX 32 News

Pharmaceutical firm's new HQ to create 150 new jobs

Tokyo-based pharmaceutical firm Astellas opened its new corporate headquarters for the Americas in north suburban Glenview on Monday, a $140 million expansion that will create 150 new high-tech jobs.

Gov. Pat Quinn, who met with the corporation's leadership while on a trade mission last year to Japan and China, attended the opening at the new headquarters, which includes two seven-story buildings totaling 446,000 square feet. The 160,000-square-foot increase makes it more than a third larger than the former Deerfield location, a release from Quinn's office said.

The buildings and site emphasize sustainability, and the complex is designed to achieve LEED Gold certification. The company's more than 1,000 employees recently relocated to the new headquarters, and the expansion includes the addition of 150 jobs, the release said.

To bolster the company's investment, the state Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity is providing an investment package of about $4 million in corporate income tax credits and job training funds, the release said. The goal is to enhance the skills of the Astellas workforce. If the company does not meet job creation targets and commitments, it will no longer be eligible for the tax credits, according to the release.

Astellas Pharma US, is the U.S. affiliate of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc. and does $2.2 billion in annual sales in the Americas, the release said.