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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Germany-Based Plant Science Firm, KWS, Invests $13.7 Million To Locate Research Facility In St. Louis, Missouri

06/16/2014
A global plant science company KWS will invest $13.7 million to locate its North American Research Facility at BioResearch and Development and Growth Park in St. Louis, Missouri, creating 75 jobs during the next three to five years.

KWS, headquartered in Germany, has been breeding crops for temperate climates for more than 150 years. The company provides seed cultivation of sugar beets, corn, grains, feed, oil and protein plants, vegetables and potatoes and related activities. KWS has more than 4,400 employees in 70 countries.

In St. Louis, KWS will operate in the Danforth Center’s BRDG Park. The company will immediately begin the process to renovate 19,150 square feet of the BRDG Park’s Building One to fit custom lab and office space. Adjacent to Building One, the company will also construct a dedicated greenhouse complex to conduct research and development. Over the next few years, KWS will hire a team of at least 75 research and administrative personnel.

“With the establishment of the KWS Gateway Research Center we are now present in two of the world’s prime locations for plant research: USA and Germany. Located in the BRDG Park, in the middle of a cluster of universities, institutes and startups, the planned new facility is scheduled to strengthen the position of KWS in global plant research, offering proximity to one of the key markets and major centers of excellence in plant research,” said Léon Broers, KWS Member of the Executive Board responsible for research and breeding. “This will be supported by existing facilities in the BRDG Park as well as by an excellent infrastructure and a top-quality science platform.”

“When we first developed Missouri’s Strategic Initiative for Economic Growth in 2010, we recognized that supporting the bioscience industry would be vital to the future of our economy,” Governor Jay Nixon said. “Since then, we have seen tremendous growth in this industry as more and more bioscience companies are choosing to make their home in Missouri, strengthening the state’s reputation as a bioscience powerhouse. I welcome KWS to the Show-Me State and look forward to building on this success.”

To assist KWS with its expansion to St. Louis, the Missouri Department of Economic Development offered a strategic economic incentive package that the company can receive if it meets strict job creation and investment criteria. The St. Louis Economic Partnership and the St. Louis Regional Chamber also partnered with KWS to help make its expansion possible.

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