The Future of Manufacturing and Medicine Rising in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood Green
Photo credit: Multivista of Western PA
What a sight and inspiration it’s been watching the first steel beams rising over the past weeks at ElevateBio’s new BaseCamp biomanufacturing facility in Pittsburgh, located in Hazelwood Green, part of the city’s Greater Hazelwood neighborhood. In partnership with the University of Pittsburgh and the Richard King Mellon Foundation, ElevateBio is building its second BaseCamp® manufacturing facility, expected to be completed in 2027. Our flagship BaseCamp facility was established on Smith Street in Waltham, Mass., in 2019.
There is something profound, even poetic, about steel beams going up in Hazelwood Green. The area along the Monongahela River once made Pittsburgh the Steel City and a major manufacturing center contributing to the war effort during World War II. Through the 1970s, Pittsburgh was a center of vitality in the American economy.
While many have bemoaned the losses in the steel industry in the decades since, Pittsburgh’s city planners and community leaders have now been welcoming new industries to Hazelwood Green, such as robotics and automation sciences, in addition to the life sciences. In some ways, Pittsburgh is an ideal city to adapt to these new industries. The local business environment fosters innovation, the city offers many of the great cultural amenities of much-larger cities — diverse theater companies, beautiful parks and gardens, stellar cuisines, a magnificent library system, and much more — and there’s a cost of living that many families find highly attractive.
In fact, Pittsburgh was recently ranked as one of the top life sciences labor markets in the U.S., with a commanding profile in training workers to participate in this growing industry. Just last year, University of Pittsburgh Greensburg opened its acclaimed Life Sciences Building, and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s investment arm has pledged $1 billion to support life sciences startups.
Building Our Presence in Pittsburgh
Timelapse from ground leveling
Photo credit: Multivista of Western PA
From the beginning, ElevateBio and the University of Pittsburgh envisioned a major presence for BaseCamp in Hazelwood. In fact, BaseCamp Pittsburgh is anticipated to take occupancy of approximately 70% of the Hazelwood Green facility.
BaseCamp is ElevateBio’s one-stop shop with all of the capabilities needed to make new cell and gene therapy products a reality. Offering end-to-end capabilities, BaseCamp provides the technologies, expertise, operations, processes, and manufacturing to accelerate the development and commercialization of transformative therapies.
ElevateBio expects to fill 170 permanent full-time positions at BaseCamp Pittsburgh. For half of those jobs, post-graduate years of education are not required, and a trade-school, community college or bachelor’s degree will be sufficient. ElevateBio also has plans to implement workforce training to help build the future of high-tech biomedical manufacturing in the region. On top of this, the build-out of the facility will ensure approximately 900 construction jobs through completion.
With the steel beams rising in place in Hazelwood Green, we’re making significant progress towards the opening of our new 125,000 square foot facility, BaseCamp Pittsburgh. I am inspired by all the individuals who have gotten us to this point and am eagerly looking forward to this important chapter for ElevateBio, the University of Pittsburgh, and the city itself.
