Governor, Local Officials Welcome Global Company

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal joined today with local business and civic leaders to welcome a global pharmaceutical company to Northeast Cobb.

Osmotica Pharmaceutical Corp. opens its first U.S. research and development facility at 901 Sawyer Road, near the interesection of Sawyer Rd and Canton Rd. State and local business officials couldn’t be happier.

“Georgia is becoming a global player in the bioscience industry, and our aggressive effort to attract companies like Osmotica is a great marker of our ability to compete in this area,” said Gov. Deal in his remarks outside the facility, which formerly housed Solvay Pharmaceuticals.

The global company brings $20 million in new investment to the manufacturing facility and will create 156 jobs, according to company officials. Osmotica specializes in drug delivery technologies and neurology-based therapies, and develops time release technologies and products for itself and other companies.

“We appreciate Governor Deal’s personal involvement in our decision-making process in selecting Marietta, Georgia as a new home for our expanding operations,” said Forrest Waldon, CEO of Osmotica. “On a personal note, it has been a wonderful opportunity for me to spend time once again in the area where my professional career began in the 1980s. Georgia remains as beautiful as I remember it.”

Waldon resided in the Atlanta area in the late 1980s and worked as an attorney. He joked that Gov. Deal had given him his personal cell phone number in case he had any questions or last-minute issues with the decision to locate in Georgia.

“We are fortunate to have found this unique combination of facilities, an experienced talent pool of professionals, facilitative government authorities and a very beautiful community to grow our company,” said Waldon.

Local officials agree the company's location was a team efffort.

“This innovative international company could have located anywhere in America, and their decision to locate in Marietta will have positive impacts on our community,” said

Company officials also said the pool of skilled talent coming from neighboring colleges like Kennesaw State, Southern Polytechnic and Chattahoochee Technical also played a role in choosing the Marietta area.