Gov. Heineman Awards Platte County
$355,000 Grant for Improvement
(Lincoln, NE) Gov. Dave Heineman announced $355,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for Platte County to help build a new road between 12th and 14th Avenue in Columbus. The road will lead to the site of a new 75,000 sq. foot Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) facility currently under construction.
Gov. Heineman said, “This is a great example of strong local leadership bringing new jobs to a community through creativity and partnerships. I am pleased the state is able to support that leadership and play a role in bringing more than fifty new jobs to Platte County.”
The grant is contingent on the company creating at least 75 full-time positions at its newest location. Platte County will match $350,000 of the CDBG funding to help in building the road. The remaining $5,000 will be available to the county for administrative costs.
A stretch of 12th Avenue that had previously divided two parcels of land owned by BD was vacated to allow for the company’s $50 million expansion. A new sterilization building is being built and will link to new manufacturing lines. The new facility will eliminate the need for BD to continue outsourcing sterilization of syringes, which are pre-filled to meet the needs of health care institutions, scientific researchers and clinical laboratories.
BD manufactures and provides a broad range of medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment and diagnostic products. Originally started in New Jersey, BD has been a fixture in Columbus since 1949 when it became the company’s first manufacturing site opened outside the company’s home state. BD currently employs 1,100 people at two existing Columbus facilities, with additional operations in Holdrege and Broken Bow.
The project is part of a program directed by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, which assists with the development of businesses and communities throughout the state. Federal funds are made available to Nebraska from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s CDBG program.
