KEY MEMBER OF THE CORE MAKES BIG COMMITMENT TO ADA COUNTY FOR PLANT, JOBS
The CORE column submission to the Idaho Statesman Business Insider, October 17, 2011, published
Contact:
Bill Canon (208) 577-5151 / bcanon@pkguis.com / www.pkguis.com
Scott Peyron (208) 388-3800 / speyron@peyron.com; www.thecoreidaho.com
At Pinebridge Health/Technology Business Park in Meridian, in the heart of The CORE med-tech industry cluster, the final punch list is being completed on a major new corporate manufacturing complex for PKG User Interface Solutions.
PKG is a key member of The CORE. Idaho’s first industry cluster – arrayed along a three-mile corridor straddling both sides of I-84 within 10 minutes of a major airport – is devoted to building out Idaho’s core competency in research, advanced education, healthcare and technology. PKG’s founder, Homy Panahi, and PKG's COO, Bill Canon, were among those who first grasped the vision of The CORE and saw the perfect fit for their business’ growth trajectory. PKG is among the founding members of The CORE, and Bill Canon is on The CORE’s executive board of directors.
PKG User Interface Solutions (www.pkguis.com) has grown into a major player in the health care diagnostic field with its innovative processes to design, develop, and manufacture integrated ultrasound and other medical devices for some of the world’s largest and leading brands in the business. PKG is now making a big move into the avionics and defense industries. Meridian-based PKG, which currently employs 86 people, has been selected to be part of the avionics team to develop and manufacture user interface control systems for Airbus’ next generation super airliner – the A350.
Unwavering optimism, new business relationships, and rapid growth have triggered PKG User Interface Solution’s decision to initiate the first phase of a planned five-building campus in the heart of The CORE to accommodate doubling its current Idaho workforce in the next 2-3 years.
PKG’s impressive new three-story facility, whose ribbon-cutting was celebrated the other day by Idaho Governor “Butch” Otter and City of Meridian Mayor Tammy de Weerd, encompasses approximately 36,000 square feet of office, design, and assembly/integration space.
The economic development and job-creation aspects of PKG’s significant growth are the catalysts of an incentive system put into place by the Idaho Legislature that enables county commissions to exempt manufacturing-based building and expansion projects from property taxes if all qualifying criteria are met. What the Idaho Legislature created was a platform upon which employers can drive higher earlier tax payments, based in part by the employer’s demonstrated ability to create new jobs, to the state and county in exchange for up to a five-year property tax exemption.
Qualifying for and receiving property tax exemption benefits for the next five years greatly improves our ability to create new jobs, to stay globally competitive, and to continue to grow our organization.
This new Idaho Code has already proven valuable to The CORE, and that is important for the Idaho economy. Idaho government data show that the healthcare industry will be Idaho’s greatest job creator for future generations; and healthcare will be Idaho’s fastest-growing, largest and highest-paying industry between now and 2016.
Other leading-edge healthcare and technology firms already at work in and around The CORE include the Idaho National Laboratory; Complex Care Hospital, for acute care patients; Idaho Urologic Institute, dedicated to comprehensive urologic care for men, women and children; St. Luke’s Meridian Medical Center; Conex Med Pro Systems, a revolutionary new telemedicine system that facilitates clinical collaboration and education through a common set of tools designed for clinicians and patients; and MWI Veterinary Supply, a global supplier of animal health products to veterinarians.
¬¬¬¬¬¬_ _ _
