North Raleigh Today

Town of Clayton issued the following announcement on Oct. 10.

History was made in the Town of Clayton today as community leaders and global healthcare company Novo Nordisk cut the ribbon on an almost $40 million regional industrial wastewater pre-treatment facility constructed through an innovative public-private partnership. 

Mayor Jody McLeod, Novo Nordisk Corporate Vice President Chad Henry, NC Sen. Brent Jackson and NC Rep. Donna White gathered with state and Johnston County leaders to celebrate the completion of the R. Steven Biggs Regional Wastewater Pretreatment Facility. Located just off US 70 in Eastern North Carolina’s BioPharma Crescent, this state-of-the-art plant was four years in the making and will be able to treat almost 450,000 gallons of industrial wastewater per day, and potentially much more. 

The pretreatment plant will immediately begin serving the largest manufacturing investment in North Carolina history--Novo Nordisk’s new $2 billion active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing facility being constructed across the street off Powhatan Road. The treatment plant was built to be an economic driver for the entire region, and its modular design will allow tremendous flexibility and expansion capacity for current and future biopharma partners who will be able to plug into the facility as well. 

“We’re excited about the biopharmaceutical partnerships this facility has forged because this is an industry that cares about people, and that’s what Clayton is all about,” said Mayor Jody McLeod. “We hope that Novo Nordisk is the first of many to join this regional facility in efforts to save and improve people’s lives through healthcare. This public-private partnership puts regionalism before individualism to solve some of today’s most critical infrastructure problems, and that speaks volumes about our relationships with these industries and Johnston County.” 

Over the past 17 months, Novo Nordisk transformed eight acres off Powhatan Road into a technological marvel, where controlled chemical and biological processes will clean industrial wastewater by removing concentrations of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus which can be harmful to aquatic ecosystems in excess levels. 

While the facility was constructed by Novo Nordisk, the Clayton Town Council unanimously voted to accept the facility as a donation from Novo Nordisk on October 7, 2019.  

“Clean water is critical to our business, and we have a responsibility to protect the environment,” said Chad Henry, Corporate Vice President and General Manager for Novo Nordisk.   “This innovative economic development initiative is a win-win for all involved. In addition to providing the infrastructure needed to support our manufacturing expansion, the Town of Clayton now has greater leverage to attract more businesses to the BioPharma Crescent region.”  

This construction project received more than $10 million in public and non-profit support from the NC General Assembly and the Golden LEAF Foundation, which supports economic opportunity in North Carolina’s rural and tobacco-dependent communities, often by awarding grants to support public infrastructure to help attract businesses to a region. 

The NC General Assembly, NC Department of Commerce, NC Department of Environmental Quality, US Economic Development Administration, Johnston County, local industry leaders and Clayton Town Council have all recognized the value of this historic cooperative, regional solution.

The facility is named in honor of former, long-time Clayton Town Manager Steve Biggs. It was his vision to see public and private entities partner to build a regional facility that would serve to solidify the community’s commitment to economic vitality and environmental stewardship.  

Pretreating industrial wastewater to meet the needs of industry is a critical issue facing Clayton, Johnston County, and communities across this country. The East Clayton Industrial area (ECIA) and the Research & Training Zone (RTZ) are attractive locations for new and expanding businesses – businesses that bring more jobs and spur more investment and spending in our community.  

About the Town of Clayton

Just 20 minutes from the North Carolina state capital, Raleigh, Clayton is the fastest-growing town in Johnston County and 17th fastest-growing in the state. We’re an international biopharmaceutical hub and a community repeatedly recognized as one of the best, safest and most affordable places in the state and country to live and raise a family. Since 2000 we’ve almost doubled in population and today more than 20,000 residents call Clayton home. Town leaders believe strongly it’s our sense of community, our hometown feel, our commitment to the arts, and our dynamic and diverse parks and recreation programs and amenities that keep people here and attract new people every day. For more information, visit ClaytonNC.org and ThinkClaytonNC.org

About Novo Nordisk

Novo Nordisk is a global healthcare company that's been making innovative medicines to help people with diabetes lead longer, healthier lives for 95 years. This heritage has given us experience and capabilities that also enable us to help people defeat other serious diseases including obesity, hemophilia and growth disorders. We remain steadfast in our conviction that the formula for lasting success is to stay focused, think long-term and do business in a financially, socially and environmentally responsible way. With U.S. headquarters in New Jersey and production and research facilities in six states, Novo Nordisk employs nearly 6,000 people throughout the country. For more information, visit novonordisk.us, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Original source: https://www.townofclaytonnc.org/clayton-news.aspx?39e569c2f56e4f87a71f789fd25ecf2fblogPostId=cad54471623c4d2c9ed4b6351ec84252