Polymer Solutions Inc., an independent materials testing company based in Virginia, has moved into a new facility.
Formerly located in Blacksburg, the company has transferred its operations to a $2.9 million, 20,000-square-foot building in nearby Christiansburg. The move made financial sense for the company, founder and CEO Jim Rancourt told Plastics News; the company's previous space was leased and would have required expensive renovations moving forward.
“The owner of the building would not sell me the building,” Rancourt said. “I had done extensive renovations of one-third and in order to be to the standard that I want for my company, for our clients — medical clients and pharmaceutical in particular — I would have had to put a lot more money into the other two-thirds, and then it's still not my building.”
The new building is located in the Falling Branch Corporate Park with close access to a major interstate. The Montgomery County (Va.) Economic Development Authority was “incredibly supportive” of the construction, Rancourt added, providing approximately $50,000 in financial incentives, some performance-based.
The new facility features improved climate controls to provide a precise testing environment, a news release indicates. The company is looking to bring more chromatography capabilities in-house — likely within the next eighteen months, Rancourt said — and expects to add an additional 10,000 square feet of lab space as it expands its capabilities and staff.
Polymer Solutions specializes in helping clients in a variety of industries solve problems through chemical analysis, physical testing and consultation services. Its business is about 60 percent medical/pharmaceutical.