Implant maker to add 178 jobs at Gardens site
PALM BEACH GARDENS — Medical implant firm Zimmer Biomet will receive $1.6 million in state and local tax incentives to add 178 jobs in Palm Beach Gardens, Gov. Rick Scott said Monday.
The announcement ends the suspense surrounding Project Bruin, as the economic development project was code-named. Scott visited Biomet to announce the company’s expansion, and economic development officials said Zimmer Biomet decided to stay in Palm Beach Gardens after considering a move to California.
Zimmer Holdings and Biomet Inc. merged this year to create Zimmer Biomet Holdings (NYSE: ZBH) of Warsaw, Ind. Biomet long has run a dental implant operation in Palm Beach Gardens.
After that deal closed, the new company had to decide whether to consolidate its dental implant operations at Zimmer’s facility in Carlsbad, Calif., or Biomet’s operation in Palm Beach Gardens.
“We were pitted against Southern California,” said David Josza, general manager of Zimmer Biomet’s Palm Beach Gardens operation.
Zimmer leases its 125,000-square-foot plant in Carlsbad, while Biomet owns the 165,000-square-foot operation in Palm Beach Gardens.
Other factors that played into the decision, Josza said, included Florida’s lower taxes and lower cost of living, along with the $1.6 million subsidy Florida offered. That includes $1 million from the state, $350,000 from Palm Beach Gardens and $250,000 from Palm Beach County.
As part of the incentive package, Zimmer Biomet promised to keep 473 jobs and create 178 new ones. The average salary is $83,000.
Zimmer Biomet, which makes implants used in knee, hip and spine surgeries, posted sales of $2.3 billion for the first half of 2015. The dental implant division brought in $113 million.
An implant anchors a new tooth to a patient’s jaw. Dental implants have gained popularity in recent years, but Josza said most people who lose teeth still opt for dentures or bridges.
As a result, Josza said, “We have a huge upside.”