Goochland lands $5 billion pharmaceutical plant, its fourth Fortune 500 company

Pharmaceutical manufacturer Eli Lilly and Company announced plans Tuesday morning to create a $5 billion facility in Goochland County’s West Creek Business Park. 

The more than 200,000-square-foot campus, which CEO David A. Ricks said will be committed to sustainability, will create ingredients for medicinal drugs that will treat illnesses such as cancer and autoimmune diseases, including antibody drug conjugates, which are the combination of two medicines. 

Ricks said Lilly would take up to five years to complete building the site, but hopes to finish ahead of that timeline, providing 1,800 construction jobs. Once open, the company will hire 650 full-time employees with an average pay of $100,000 and full healthcare benefits. It would be in the vicinity of CarMax, Performance Food Group and Capital One, giving four Fortune 500 companies a major presence in Goochland.

“We chose Virginia because we have learned we have reliable partners here and great people who turn commitments into results,” Ricks said. 

Gov. Glenn Youngkin called the facility the first of its kind in the state. He said that he and other officials made a trip to Indianapolis to see their work.

“This new facility will make some of the most complex therapies known in medicine. It will feature state-of-the-art technology, integrated advanced automation systems, digital quality systems and real-time analytics to ensure precision in every step,” Ricks said. 

Ricks also said the facility would work to connect with educational institutions for graduating students to work at the company. Virginia Commonwealth University already has a Ph.D. program for students interested in a degree in manufacturing  

Multiple state and Goochland officials were present, including Lieutenant Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, State Secretary of Trade and Commerce Juan Pablo Segura and Goochland County Supervisors Tom Winfree and Jonathan Lyle.

“Earlier this year the Board of Supervisors and the Economic Development Authority came together with a clear vision to strengthen our competitiveness and invest in the future of Goochland's business community,” Winfree said. “They made the bold decision to fund initiatives that enhance our sites and attract top-tier companies, and today's announcement is a direct result of that foresight, commitment and collaboration.”

Eli Lilly is one of the largest drugmakers, based in Indianapolis. It is behind medications like Mounjaro, an injectable prescription drug that treats diabetes and aids weight loss. 

“I know that every Virginian wins from what’s happening here with Eli Lilly,” said Segura, who told members that his father was saved from a drug that cured his cancer.

The Goochland facility is part of Eli Lilly’s $50 billion investment to build and expand its manufacturing facilities in the country that began in 2020.

The company announced plans earlier this year to invest $27 billion in four manufacturing facility sites across the country, with the first being in Goochland. The company has previously invested $21.5 billion in manufacturing facilities in North Carolina, Wisconsin and Indiana. 

Ricks said that 46 states responded to Eli Lilly’s request for information to potentially build the facility, and the company chose Virginia during that process.

“Virginia has infrastructure, transportation networks, utilities and a digital economy to support us, and all those things are just vital to a complex operation like the one we're setting up here,” he said.

Contact Reporter Victoria A. Ifatusin at vifatusin@richmonder.org