Gov. Meets With Head of GE Healthcare to Discuss New Marlborough Headquarters

Governor Deval Patrick met with Eric Roman, the newly named incoming senior leader on site of GE Healthcare North America to discuss GE Healthcare’s future business operations in the Commonwealth, including recently announced plans for the company to open a new $21 million U.S. Headquarters in Marlborough, Massachusetts in the spring of 2015.

“Through investment in innovation, education and infrastructure Massachusetts has emerged as the global leader in life sciences,” said Patrick. “GE Healthcare’s arrival builds on that momentum, and today’s meeting further advanced the growing relationship between GE Healthcare and the Commonwealth. We are excited to welcome the U.S. life sciences headquarters of GE Healthcare and are pleased that the company will create a substantial number of new, STEM-related job opportunities in Massachusetts.”

During the meeting Governor Patrick and Mr. Roman discussed the company’s plans for relocation of the headquarters, which will establish a new site for more than 500 employees and create more than 220 new jobs in Massachusetts. According to GE officials, the state’s talented workforce was a key driver in GE Healthcare’s decision to bring the headquarters to Massachusetts. The new site is currently unoccupied space and will be transformed into state-of-the-art labs, customer application facilities and office space to complement the company’s existing manufacturing capability in Westborough.

“Establishing GE Healthcare Life Sciences’ US Headquarters in Massachusetts will place our rapidly growing business in the heart of a community brimming with talent, academia, and trade organizations in the life sciences sector,” said Roman. “With our unique strengths in technology for drug research, biopharmaceutical manufacturing and medical diagnostics, we look forward to contributing to the growth of life sciences in the Commonwealth and on a global scale.”

“Massachusetts has become a magnet for international life sciences companies looking to enter the U.S. market, and the number of companies choosing to locate and grow in the Commonwealth is exploding,” said Susan Windham-Bannister, Ph.D., President & CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, the agency charged with implementing Governor Patrick’s Life Sciences Initiative. “Today’s meeting was a great opportunity to foster further collaboration and partnership as we welcome GE Healthcare’s Life Sciences Headquarters to our thriving life sciences community.”

Patrick and Dr. Windham-Bannister will also participate in a roundtable today with UK life sciences leaders to discuss opportunities to do business in Massachusetts, and to collaborate with Massachusetts-based life sciences companies.