Sema4 Holds Groundbreaking Ceremony At New Stamford Lab Facility

STAMFORD, CT — On Thursday, state officials and guests were invited to a groundbreaking ceremony to commemorate the construction of health intelligence company Sema4's new laboratory in the Harbor Landing area of Stamford.

The new 70,000 square-foot facility, located at 62 Southfield Avenue, will boast state-of-the-art lab facilities, and the company anticipates to house approximately 300 employees there.

The company, which is also headquartered in Stamford on Ludlow Street, specializes in "genomic tests, digital tools and clinical collaborations" designed to help people make better healthcare decisions, according to their website.

"We are proud to make this important investment in the Stamford community to propel our continued growth in creating cutting-edge precision medicine solutions to improve the way providers deliver care for patients," Sema4 CEO Eric Schadt said in a statement. "Connecticut offers an optimal environment to address our company's growing needs for qualified candidates and provides access to leading universities and medical centers."

A number of state officials attended the ceremony, including U.S. Rep. Jim Himes (D-Connecticut), state Rep. Caroline Simmons (D-Stamford), state Sen. Joan Hartley (D-Waterbury) and state Senator Tony Hwang (R-Fairfield).

"I am so excited about this company and about what you do," Himes said during the ceremony. "I am far from an expert in the field, but I do know that the future of medicine is in genomics, and the stuff that is happening out there with respect to diagnosis and personalized treatment...this is the future of medicine."

During the ceremony, State Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner David Lehman remarked that Sema4 has already seen "astonishing growth" in the past five years.

"From three employees in 2014 to over 500 anticipated [employees] once the new lab is online, Sema4 is the kind of innovative, tech-driven company that can find great success in our city," Lehman said.

Sema4 also has a lab in Branford and an office in New York City.

According to a statement from the company, the new lab will be designed to process more than 5,000 patient samples a day. The facility will also house offices for more than 100 genetic counselors, bioinformatics specialists and support service staff as part of the company's comprehensive health intelligence platform services.

Schadt said one of the most enticing features of the new facility is actually the location itself.

"[The location] has easy access off the [Metro-North] line," Schadt said to Patch. "A lot of those I've recruited have moved into Westchester, and a lot of my senior team lives off that metro line."

Schadt also cited the new facility's cost and the fact that the company can recruit "top-notch people" who will commute from the city into Stamford as reasons the location appealed to him.

Lehman noted that the company's expansion in Stamford reflects a growing trend for the city.

"More people are commuting into Stamford, whether it's by rail or by car, these days," Lehmansaid. "People are coming from New York to work in Stamford, and I think that's one of the areas where we're going to see growth as we create more and more environments like this one."

During the ceremony, Hwang expressed gratitude toward Schadt and his team for the work they are doing and will continue to do in Stamford.

"This is all about jobs, businesses and creating an industry that will move forward in the 21st century," Hwang said. "This is all about creating a better world, taking better care of people's health; there can't be any more noble gesture than doing that."