Health Care Edition: Biotech, life sciences booming in Pearland

Pearland’s Lower Kirby District in the city’s northwest corner has had several life sciences companies move into the area in recent years due to its available land, specialized workforce and proximity to the nearby Texas Medical Center.

The local impact

Pearland’s 77584 ZIP code is already home to more Texas Medical Center workers than any other in the area, according to the Pearland Economic Development Corporation.

In 2011, Merit Medical Systems became the first medical manufacturer to move into the Lower Kirby District, which is now home to five life sciences companies, PEDC President Matt Buchanan said. Its most recent, United Imaging, announced in April plans to move into a 216,000-square-foot facility south of North Spectrum Boulevard.

Pearland has invested in infrastructure to support this growth and focus more on creating an environment that is attractive for business rather than directly liaising with the companies, Buchanan said.

“We focused on it purposely,” Buchanan said. “It’s not by chance they’re all here. ... We set the tone for what kind of development, what kind of quality [we wanted in Pearland].”

Zooming in

United Imaging will triple the amount of manufacturing space it has at its current facility in Houston near NRG Stadium, which CEO Jeffrey Bundy said the business will continue operating.

After United Imaging outgrew its existing facility, the company chose Pearland due to its proximity to the Texas Medical Center and nearby ports, allowing the company to ship across the Atlantic Ocean.

The business manufactures medical imaging equipment such as MRI machines, CT scanners, and digital radiography systems. Bundy said officials have plans to expand production to include ultrasound equipment and radiation therapy systems at the Pearland facility.

Put into perspective

The PEDC attracts companies with incentives to build their headquarters or manufacturing facilities in Pearland, PEDC Director of Marketing Melissa Cook said.

For example, United Imaging was provided a performance-based forgivable loan agreement for $555,000, provided the company creates and maintains 185 jobs over the next 7-10 years and invests $3.5 million worth of capital, Cook said.

While the PEDC offers financial incentives, Cook said she believes the city’s biggest incentives aren’t monetary, but rather its workforce, transportation, quality neighborhoods and access via highways, including Hwy. 288 and Beltway 8.

“Those are the biggest incentives that we have,” Buchanan said. “They’re not financial incentives, but those are the biggest incentives that have caused us to have the success that we’ve had in Lower Kirby today.”

The specifics

Pearland’s biotech sector has created a need for a bigger workforce pipeline, Cook said.

To help, Alvin Community College and San Jacinto College have each launched programs related to biotech and biomanufacturing, Community Impact previously reported.

The PEDC in 2024 began applying for grants to fund training for jobs in high demand for those who need financial assistance, and as of June 4, 14 scholarships have been awarded.

Run by the Texas Workforce Commission, the grant program—titled the High Demand Job Training Grant—is available to economic development corporations statewide and is funded by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which contributes up to $150,000 per EDC that matches the amount.

Of the top 10 employers in Pearland, five are within the health care industry. The top employers in Pearland, according to city data, is as follows:

• Pearland ISD: 2,700
• Kelsey-Seybold: 1,413
• Lonza: 850
• City of Pearland: 768
• Alvin ISD: 753
• Memorial Hermann: 520
• HCA (Pearland Medical Center): 450
• Dover Energy: 255
• Merit Medical: 240
• Kemlon: 228

United Imaging will open in phases over the next two years. Initial operations are expected to begin in late 2025, according to an April 2 news release.

Some data tied to United Imaging includes:

• 2013 is when United Imaging is founded
• 100K sq. ft. facility in Houston with a 65K sq. ft. research facility
• 2025 initial operations are expected to being in Pearland facility
• 3-4 times increase in the size of research capacity
• 185 jobs expected to be created at the facility

“I can’t really give the crystal ball of when I think that new factory is too small, but it’s not that far in the distance,” Bundy said.