Sarasota's Osprey Biotechnics plans to add 35 high-wage jobs
Osprey Biotechnics, a Sarasota-based biotechnology company that creates beneficial bacterial products which promote animal health, plant health and environmental restoration, is expanding to a larger facility and plans to add 35 employees over the next three years, according to Kathy Baylis, president and CEO of the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County.
The EDC assisted the company with local performance-based incentives aimed at creating high-wage jobs in Sarasota County.
Osprey Biotechnics’ expansion marks the third expansion or relocation announced for Sarasota County in the last two months. Those companies, including IntegraClick and Success Group International, are expected to create a total of 240 jobs over the next few years.
“Osprey Biotechnics is part of a growing cluster of biotechnology firms in the region, and the company’s expansion into products based on beneficial fungi creates an opportunity to add higher wage jobs in our community,” Baylis said. The EDC assisted the company in applying for an incentive from Sarasota County based on creating jobs exceeding the average annual wage in the county.
According to Lauren Danielson, the company’s executive vice president, Osprey Biotechnics wants to remain in Sarasota County with its appealing quality of life. The company, which has 35 employees, found a facility to double its growth and will be able to develop and launch its new fungal product line with assistance from the county incentive.
“We love Sarasota,” Danielson said. “It’s a wonderful place to raise children, and the cultural offerings are superb.”
“Offering incentives to grow jobs in Sarasota County allows us to boost the local economy by facilitating the expansion and relocation of companies in high-growth industries,” said Sarasota County Commissioner Joe Barbetta.
Osprey Biotechnics develops, manufactures and sells environmentally-friendly bacterial products, which replace conventional chemicals. All of the company’s manufacturing is performed in Sarasota County and products are sold to a national and international base of clients. The company holds 16 patents, with additional applications for patents pending.
The new fungal products will be particularly beneficial in promoting plant health through bio-pesticides that replace chemicals and are safe for the environment, Danielson said. Osprey Biotechnics developed methods to grow fungi in commercially viable quantities, giving the company a competitive advantage in creating related products.
