This podcast contains comments from the August 17, 2020 Bryan ISD school board meeting. Speakers are Brazos Valley Economic Development corporation president Matt Prochaska, Evolve Biologics chief commercial officer David Holliday and head of plasma proteins Mark Krause, and Kathy Mathias of an Austin based consulting company hired by BISD to process the state application.

The Bryan ISD school board takes the first steps in what could be bringing a Canadian based pharmaceutical manufacturer to the biocorridor.

Evolve Biologics chief commercial officer David Holliday says the facility will process one million liters (more than 264,000 gallons) of plasma a year.

The Toronto based corporation has three possible sites for its $140 million dollar production facility. The president of the Brazos Valley Economic Development Corporation (BVEDC), Matt Prochaska, says the other finalists are an undisclosed city in North Carolina and an unidentified international location.

Bryan ISD board members on Monday night approved submitting an application with the state comptrollers office for an economic development agreement. The board also selected an Austin based consultant to process the state application.

According to information provided by Evolve, construction would start next year, employing more than 700 during a three year period.

Evolve plans to start production in 2023 and have 344 manufacturing employees by the year 2026. Prochaska says salaries would be above the Brazos Valley average.

If Evolve chooses the biocorridor and if the state approves the application, then Evolve and Bryan ISD would negotiate payments to the school district in lieu of property taxes.