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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

DaVita Labs Expands Its DeLand, Florida, Laboratory Operations Center

04/21/2014
DaVita Labs, a diagnostic laboratory servicing both dialysis organizations and physician practices, is expanding its laboratory operations in DeLand, Florida, to accommodate future employee growth.

A division of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc. and a leading provider of kidney care services, DaVita will create 100 jobs and generate nearly $32 million in capital investment in the community over five years. As part of this expansion, DaVita Labs will build a new 65,000-square-foot facility, with the opportunity for expansion to accommodate potential future growth. The construction is set to begin in mid-2014 with target completion date of early-to-mid 2015.

“At DaVita Labs we are dedicated not only to our patients and our teammates, but also to the communities we serve and live in,” said DaVita Labs General Manager Jason Cline. “This expansion demonstrates our steadfast commitment to the City of DeLand and all of Volusia County, which has been an attractive location for recruiting and retaining teammates.”

DaVita Labs currently has 137,000 square feet dedicated to its state-of-the-art clinical diagnostic laboratories between its two locations in Ft. Lauderdale and DeLand. The laboratories feature the latest in renal-specific methodology and technology for delivering quality test results. DaVita Labs employs more than 500 teammates between Ft. Lauderdale and DeLand – a number that has grown by nearly 15 percent since the beginning of 2012.

Governor Rick Scott said, “This expansion will create 100 new jobs, which is important to families in DeLand. By cutting taxes and empowering job creators, Florida’s statewide unemployment rate has been below the national unemployment rate since August 2013, and 540,700 private-sector jobs have been added since December 2010."

“The life sciences industry continues to grow across the state, and more companies are looking at Florida as a pivotal location for their next expansion or location,” said President/CEO of Enterprise Florida, Gray Swoope. “Leading companies like DaVita Labs are finding the skilled workforce and other resources they need to be successful here, and we look forward to watching them grow in their new facility.”

This project was made possible with the help of close partnerships between Enterprise Florida, the County of Volusia, the City of DeLand, Duke Energy, CareerSource Florida and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. As part of the project, CareerSource Florida offered DaVita Labs funding through the Quick Response Training grant program.

“DaVita Labs decision to expand its laboratory operations and create 100 additional jobs in DeLand is confirmation that Florida is the place for businesses in the life science industry to grow and succeed. Employment opportunities in STEM industries produce high-wage, high-tech jobs that benefit Florida families and spur innovation in our state. Businesses like DaVita Labs, are the reason our economic recovery continues to outpace the nation’s,” said Jesse Panuccio, Executive Director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

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