Executives at Middleton, Wis.-based SHINE Medical Technologies have chosen to build their new isotope manufacturing facility in Janesville, Wis. The plant, expected to open in 2015, will make SHINE the first large-scale domestic supplier of molybdenum-99, the medical isotope used in procedures worldwide to help detect cancer, heart disease, and other conditions. It is anticipated the highly coveted $80 million facility will bring more than 100 permanent jobs to Janesville, with an average salary of $50,000 to $60,000. The news couldn’t have been better for the city, which has been reeling economically ever since the closure of the GM plant there in 2010.
“We are very excited to call Janesville home and to become part of the community as an employer and corporate citizen,” said Greg Piefer Ph.D., founder and CEO of SHINE, in a release. “As a company that grew in partnership with research conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Morgridge Institute for Research, one of our primary goals was to stay in-state and take advantage of the dedicated, talented workforce available here.”
Stevens Point, Wis. was also in the running, and both cities worked hard to lure the development. Janesville had already authorized its city administrator to purchase an 84-acre site, while Stevens Point put together what city officials called “a very aggressive” incentive package.
