The New Jersey Center of Excellence in Bridgewater — Courtesy: Advance Realty
By Joshua Burd
A pharmaceutical firm is the latest tenant to expand at Advance Realty’s flagship life sciences campus in Bridgewater, where it has taken nearly 13,000 square feet.
The joint venture of Advance and CrossHarbor Capital Partners LLC said Wednesday that Vertice Pharma is nearly tripling its footprint at the New Jersey Center of Excellence. Under a newly signed lease, the manufacturer and distributor will occupy 12,733 square feet.
The 8,200-square-foot expansion comes a year after Vertice first came to the campus, a former Sanofi U.S. research complex that Advance and CrossHarbor are repositioning.
“Vertice Pharma’s expansion at the New Jersey Center of Excellence not only validates the growth and development of the company, but also speaks to the campus’ overall success as a venue where bio and pharma companies on the leading edge of the industry can thrive,” said Peter J. Cocoziello, founder and CEO of Advance Realty. “As our vision for the Center of Excellence continues to take shape, we’re thrilled to see it establish itself as a primary destination for the people and companies that are central to life science innovation.”
Advance and CrossHarbor acquired the NJCOE in 2014, following news that Sanofi was relocating its R&D arm to the Boston area. The joint venture has since pushed to repopulate some 800,000 square feet of office and lab space, while pursuing a mixed-use redevelopment plan for other parts of the site.
A range of life science firms have backfilled 85 percent of that space. Nestlé Health Science is anchoring the complex with an 180,000-square-foot research and development facility.
Other tenants including Avantor Performance Materials and Matinas BioPharma have signed new leases or expanded at the campus. The NJCOE is also home to Nevakar, a biopharma startup, and well-established life sciences companies such as Ashland and Amneal Pharmaceuticals.
Advance and CrossHarbor have catered to those users by preserving features such as the complex’s two substations, a cogeneration system in the central utility plant, generator backup for the central plant and cooling towers. Advance’s master plan for the campus also includes the incorporation of retail and residential components to create a dynamic town center-style environment.
