Governor Eric J. Holcomb and Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers joined local officials and executives from Elanco Animal Health Inc. (NYSE: ELAN), one of the leading independent animal health companies in the world, to break ground on its new global headquarters and celebrate this step toward making Indiana the premier destination for innovation in animal health.
“Days like today prove that Indiana’s investments in infrastructure, talent development, communities and quality of place are cultivating an ecosystem that enables innovators like Elanco to grow and thrive, bringing their biggest, most ambitious ideas to life,” said Gov. Holcomb. “Today we broke ground on not just a building, but on an exciting future – one filled with opportunities for innovators, talent and communities in Indiana – and one where leading-edge discoveries will be made in the years ahead."
Elanco announced its new global headquarters will feature environmentally sustainable, employee-focused design and a state-of-the-art innovation center near the city’s westside. Anchored by its new headquarters, the company is investing more than $300 million in its operations statewide, establishing its base of operations and a center of excellence in Indiana and ensuring the Hoosier state is at the center of its future growth.
“When we talk about the new headquarters, we’re talking about ‘building as a verb, not a noun,” said Jeff Simmons, Elanco president and CEO. “We’re building Elanco’s next era of growth an innovation for one of the industry’s most trusted brands, we’re building paths to connect Indianapolis’ historic west side with its center, and we’re building a vibrant destination for our nearly 10,000 global employees to collaborate, connect and invent. Finally, Indianapolis is poised to become an epicenter of animal health innovation, and we’re excited to be among the architects building its foundation.”
The planned 220,000-square-foot, six-story office structure and connected innovation and collaboration buildings will occupy 40 acres of the former General Motors (GM) Stamping Plant on the western edge of the White River, creating a greenspace-forward campus expanding White River State Park. The glass-faced building, once constructed, will add to the skyline of Indianapolis, pushing the heart of downtown west, connecting the Valley neighborhood with the Circle via a walkable, bikeable corridor with a park, a bus route and enhanced trail system.
Elanco’s new campus is the first piece of a planned animal health epicenter in Indianapolis. Developed in collaboration with AgriNovus, the state of Indiana’s food and agriculture initiative, and business incubator High Alpha, the epicenter is expected to include venture studio development “makerspace” and create a scientific discovery network and research clearinghouse that will help position Indiana as a hub for animal health.
The groundbreaking charts a new path forward for development at the former GM stamping plant site, which has sat vacant since the plant’s closure in 2011. Development of the 91-acre industrial site is moving forward with transformational redevelopment of the state’s Capital City as the state, city and Elanco collaborate to advance a vision of walkable, mixed-use space that expands the boundaries of downtown Indianapolis across the White River and brings renewed vibrancy to the area for years to come.
The city of Indianapolis will help increase accessibility to the site through construction of a new, two-way bridge across the river at the current location of Henry Street. In addition, the city and state will partner on the development of a new pedestrian bridge connecting both banks of the White River. The remaining property along the south and southwest sides of the former GM stamping plant site will be available for future mixed-use development that prioritizes connectivity, livability, and a seamless integration with the adjacent neighborhoods.
Official construction of Elanco’s new facility is expected to commence in the coming months and take approximately two to three years to complete.
