$250M life sciences facility near Athens moves forward

Project will include three phases and 1,700-plus workers.

One of Georgia’s largest life science projects cleared a procedural step in the development of a large campus near Athens.

Meissner Corp., which specializes in microfiltration and pharmaceutical products, made public a state filing on March 29 that sheds new light on its planned $250 million manufacturing, laboratory and distribution facility in Clarke County. The development of regional impact filing details that the project will be built in three phases, totaling 800,000 square feet of facilities and more than 1,700 workers.

Jon Day, operations project manager at California-based Meissner, said the company is preparing to break ground in the next two months on the 125-acre site at the Christian Industrial Tract at 1310 Spring Valley Road in Winterville. The site is within 5 miles of the University of Georgia and Athens Technical College.

“There’s a slew of universities around here that can provide excellent talent,” Day said.

Founded in 1984, Meissner is one of the world’s largest privately held companies in the bioprocessing sector, according to a news release when the project was announced in April 2023. Meissner’s Georgia facility will be the company’s second American manufacturing campus when it opens in 2026.

The company develops, manufactures, supplies and services microfiltration products used to help treat various cancers, heart conditions and immune disorders. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Meissner “provided critical products which enabled the development, manufacture and distribution of numerous lifesaving therapeutics and vaccines,” the release stated.

To woo the company to the Peach State, the Georgia Department of Economic Development offered Meissner a $500,000 EDGE grant, an incentive from one of the state’s so-called deal closing funds. Meissner qualifies for about $11 million in incentives, including Georgia Quick Start job creation tax credits.

Day said Atlanta-based Cooper Carry is the project’s architect, and Athens-based W&A Engineering is its civil engineer. He said the first phase will include the project’s distribution facility. The manufacturing and laboratory components will be added during subsequent phases.

Georgia has targeted the bioscience and life sciences sectors for decades, and Day said Meissner’s addition is a reflection of the Southeast’s growing talent pool in those industries.

“The East Coast is this growing hub for biotech, so (Athens) is a good place for us to get started,” he said.

COURTESY Meissner Corp., which manufactures and services microfiltration products that help treat cancers, heart conditions and immune disorders, will open a facility in Athens-Clarke County.