Nexia Biotechnologies Expands to PARC
June 20, 2000

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y., June 19, 2000 – A lease agreement announced today between the Plattsburgh Airbase Redevelopment Corp. (PARC) and Nexia Biotechnologies USA Inc. signals Nexia’s intention to locate its new facility at the former Air Base here and paves the way for the initial development of 25 jobs.
Nexia is a pioneer in the development and manufacture of high-performance, environmentally friendly biomaterials with industrial and medical applications. Its corporate headquarters is in St. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal.
Nexia will be using 15 Quonset-style buildings on a 50-acre site located southwest of PARC’s airfield, and will maintain an option on an additional 40 acres. The firm is converting the buildings – formerly used for weapons storage – into animal housing facilities for breeding goats, whose milk is the source of Nexia’s performance fiber, Biosteelâ.
“Our expansion to Plattsburgh will create jobs and take advantage of our advancements in biotechnology to develop innovative, environmentally sustainable products,” said Dr. Jeffrey D. Turner, president and CEO of Nexia.
“I am proud to welcome to Plattsburgh a cutting edge company with the reputation, stature and promise of Nexia,” said Daniel E. Wieneke, president and CEO at PARC. “Nexia’s selection of PARC for the location of its new facility sends a clear message to the international business community that PARC is open for business.”
Biosteelâ is an environmentally friendly material developed from spider silk, which has long been recognized as the strongest fiber known to man. Nexia created excitement throughout the international scientific community through the successful implantation of a single spider silk gene into two goats, Peter and Webster, making it possible for the spider silk protein to be produced in the milk. The milk is then collected, the Biosteelâ extracted and spun into fibers.
Herd expansion at PARC will be the largest animal-based spider silk manufacturing site in the world.
With a tensile strength of 400,000 pounds per square inch, spider silk is significantly stronger and lighter than steel, as well as other synthetically produced petroleum-based products such as Kevlar. Biosteelâ is designed to mimic spider silk’s natural performance and is the technical cornerstone in the development of the next generation of personal body armor. Biosteelâ armor will combine superior ballistic protection within a lighter, more flexible vest for soldiers and law enforcement officers.
Of equal importance, spider silk’s compatibility with the human body will open up extensive medical uses. Super thin sutures and artificial ligaments and tendons are just some of the possible medical applications.
United States Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-New York) said, “Nexia’s decision to open a facility in Plattsburgh is a clear sign that upstate New York and its many attributes are catching the eyes of some of America’s most exciting companies. Attracting new businesses to New York has been one of my top priorities since coming to the Senate, and I am going to work with Nexia to create new jobs and more opportunities for the people of Plattsburgh.”
“Nexia’s decision to establish a presence at the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base represents another significant milestone in PARC’s efforts to develop the base,” said Rep. John M. McHugh (R-Pierrepont Manor), “Nexia’s research is on the cutting edge of the biotechnology field and will have tremendous implications for PARC and the Plattsburgh community. I welcome Nexia to Plattsburgh and look forward to an even larger presence by the company in the coming years.”
Charles A. Gargano, chairman of Empire State Development, said, “Plattsburgh has never had a better business partner than Governor Pataki. A host of new industries, from manufacturing to biotechnology, are locating in Plattsburgh because of its lower business costs and outstanding reputation. Site Selection magazine recently ranked Plattsburgh 7th in the nation among small towns for attracting and expanding corporate facilities. The word is out. Nexia’s investment throws more weight behind our reputation.”
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