Nutraceutical company Vireo Resources, Inc. has found all the right ingredients for growth in Greater Omaha and Nebraska.
The company will be introducing an immune support product. Once on the market, it will be the only immune support supplement of its kind that has been clinically proven to boost T cells. With T cells being the major immune molecules that fight against coronavirus and COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases, this is big news for the company. “Vireo is on a roll,” Mark Faulkner, Vireo’s chief executive, said. The company currently has 40+ products in the pipeline ready to join its existing 20 or so brands already on shelves.
Pro-Business Environment
He called the business and regulatory environment in Nebraska very pro-business. “This is a premium location for expansion.” Vireo’s continued expansion in Nebraska is expected to add more than $20 million to the regional economy – and nearly 300 jobs – over the next three-to-five years on the new 10-acre site.
“This current expansion sets the stage for two more planned expansions in the future. We will continue to release Nebraska products developed from Nebraska research done in partnership with the University of Nebraska,” Faulkner added.
Highly Skilled Workforce and Favorable Business Incentives
Beyond the proximity to research partners, Faulkner says quality workforce was also a factor in his decision to expand in Plattsmouth. “We are committed to hiring the best and the brightest – from researchers to producers and leaders because ‘who we are’ is paramount to ‘what we do,’” he said.
“Each time, the deciding factor to expand further in Nebraska has been the incentive support the state has been able to offer as help to make the projects happen,”
Faulkner said, adding he is “excited to continue a collaboration that means bringing holistic health products to more people using environmentally sound, authentic practices that fit well with Nebraska’s commitment to high ecological and economic standards.”
Lab technician at Vireo Resources, Inc.
A Partnership for Growth
A research collaboration with the University of Nebraska Medical Center convinced Vireo to build in Nebraska more than a decade ago. In July of 2020, Faulkner decided to move most of his production to Plattsmouth, Nebraska just south of Omaha. The main draw was that continued partnership and the conducive environment for Medical Technology companies like his.
UNMC researchers have become the core of Vireo’s scientific advisory board that’s enabled much of the company’s progress. He credits the University of Nebraska Medical Center and other scientific partners for other timely applications.
“Our working with University of Nebraska researchers directly resulted in the discovery of the molecule creatine hydrochloride. Concentrated creatine, Con-Crete products, because of its incredible cellular energetic characteristics — became the number one sports nutrition, muscle-building product in the market.”
“UNMC’s relationship with Vireo shows what can happen when industry and the university work well together,” said Michael Dixon, president and CEO of UNeMed Corporation, the commercialization arm of the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
“We’ve been partners with Vireo for more than 17 years now, and that relationship has sponsored innovative research, created new products that help people around the globe, built new jobs for our citizens and added revenue for our state and local economy. Vireo is an outstanding model for a highly productive and mutually beneficial University-Industry partnership,” Dixon continued.
Extend Your Runway
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