April 2, 2015
By Riley McDermid, BioSpace.com Breaking News Sr. Editor
Biotest Pharmaceuticals Corporation will add 50 jobs to Conway, Ark., as it continues to staff its newest facility there, and will be hiring across a variety of life sciences and biomedical careers, spokesman Dan Gamache told BioSpace Thursday. He said the company will also be hiring as it expands its San Antonio facility as well, though a fewer number of people, as that site is already mostly staffed.
“[BPC] does plan to add over 50 jobs as we grow to support the day to day operations at our newest Biotest Plasma Center [in Arkansas],” he said. “We currently have employment opportunities for medical personnel such as Paramedics, LN, RPN, Biomedical Technicians and Phlebotomists which we will fill as our operations increase and we expand our hours.”
The more than 16,000-square-foot facility opened its doors on March 26 and will be the 18th center in BPC’s plasma portfolio. The company employs around 600 people nationwide.
“This facility represents another milestone in our continued efforts to strengthen our network of plasma collection centers and further reinforces our commitment to better serve the thousands of patients world-wide that rely on plasma based therapies” said Jordan Siegel, BPC’s chief executive officer, in a statement.
Biotest said that the plasma donated at Biotest Plasma Centers is used to manufacture critical care therapies in a variety of therapeutic areas, such as BPC’s BIVIGAM [Immune Globulin Intravenous (Human), 10 percent Liquid] and Nabi-HB [Hepatitis B Immune Globulin (Human)].
That’s precisely why the company is looking for skilled workers in the area, said Gamache, and each position will require a different level of experience.
“That will directly depend upon the position. For non-licensed positions we generally look for employees with a high school diploma or equivalent and a minimum of one year’s medical assistant or receptionist experience preferred,” he said. “A minimum of six month’s medical training, vocational school and/or phlebotomy training is preferred with excellent customer service skills. We also hire LPNs, RNs, or Paramedics as needed.”
Biotest Pharmaceuticals is a subsidiary of Biotest AG, a German-based global provider of plasma proteins that employs approximately 2,000 people worldwide. Gamache said its Arkansas hiring doesn’t have a set timeframe, but will depend on how much staffing the site eventually requires.
“There is no specific timeline on hiring as we hire as needed to support the growth,” he said. “We expect this facility to be fully operational rather quickly, but we must still ensure we are increasing operations appropriately as the safety of our donors and the quality of our products is our priority.”
As for San Antonio, Biotest said it would be relocating its plasma collection center to 618 NW Loop410 Suite 101 in San Antonio, and will likely hire to bring the site to full capacity, staffing of 50 to 60 people. Gamache did not have an exact number of hires predicted for that center as of press time.
