Biotechnology company Amgen broke ground on its $1 billion Holly Springs manufacturing facility on Friday. The Wake County expansion is both a recipient of county incentives and a state Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) supported by taxpayer funds.
“We thought long and hard about where to build this plant,” said Bob Bradway, Amgen CEO, during the groundbreaking. “We chose Holly Springs because the Research Triangle area offers unbeatable advantages, including a welcoming investment climate, a thriving innovation ecosystem, and a diverse and skilled workforce. This plant will further strengthen our ability to provide an uninterrupted supply of our medicines for patients suffering from heart disease, cancer, and other serious illnesses.”
Congratulations to @Amgen on their new Holly Springs operation!
President @realDonaldTrump‘s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act fueled historic prosperity in NC and across the country.
We must build on this success in 2025. https://t.co/Zc6rZ0uGu1
— Senator Ted Budd (@SenTedBuddNC) January 27, 2025
Former Gov. Roy Cooper announced this expansion in December, building on a $550 million investment announced in 2022. The investment complements an existing Amgen facility, and together, the two facilities will cover 500,000 sq ft.
The total investment of $1.5 billion promises to bring more than 700 jobs to Wake County by 2030.
The JDIG program the company is leveraging authorizes the potential reimbursement of up to $4,893,750 over 12 years. Wake County is also committing $9 million in county taxpayer funds for the project, contingent upon the company meeting a total community investment of over $380 million.
“Throughout former Gov. Roy Cooper’s tenure, his administration repeatedly displayed a hypocritical stance on corporate taxes,” Joseph Harris, fiscal policy analyst for the John Locke Foundation, told the Carolina Journal. “The administration opposed across-the-board tax cuts for all corporations while gifting handouts to politically favored corporations, like Amgen. The JDIG is promoted as an effective job creator; however, these agreements are often quietly canceled. Based on recent reports, at least 187 agreements have been terminated or withdrawn before achieving their job creation targets, including 16 in 2023 alone.”
The groundbreaking ceremony included remarks from Amgen leaders and government officials, including NC Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger,R-Rockingham.
“What an incredible day to celebrate growth and innovation here in the state of North Carolina,” said Berger at the ceremony. “It’s not every day a company decides to expand its operations before the initial facility is fully operational. The work being done here in North Carolina will have an impact far beyond our state—medicines manufactured here in Holly Springs will help patients worldwide.”
Approximately 70% of Amgen’s employees at the current Holly Spring location are locals, and the biotech company has also formed a partnership with Wake Tech Community College in launching an 18-month apprenticeship program. The program is designed to increase opportunities for those new to biomanufacturing or seeking to change careers without the need for a bachelor’s degree.
So excited to join our partners @Amgen for their joint ribbon cutting and groundbreaking! Proud of @waketechcc’s role in training and apprenticeships! pic.twitter.com/zbxpkp641K
— Wake Tech Foundation (@WTCCFoundation) January 24, 2025
While government officials are hopeful the incentives lead to investment and jobs targets being met, recent history cautions against premature celebration.
“There is a history of JDIG recipients taking much longer than promised to complete construction,” concluded Harris. “For example, in 2022, policymakers provided VinFast with the single largest economic development incentive package in the state’s history, valued at more than $1.2 billion over 32 years. However, in 2024, VinFast announced that the completion of the project would be delayed from 2025 to 2028.”