CANTON—Organogenesis Inc. has narrowed its search for a new headquarters property to three options, but one of those would involve keeping the biotech firm's current corporate office in Canton.
The company, which makes Apligraf-brand skin patches that heal leg and foot ulcers, had originally aimed to move to a new 250,000-square-foot complex, preferably within 15 miles of its existing site.
But on Monday, CEO Geoff Mac-Kay said the company is considering keeping its 80,000-square-foot complex at 150 Dan Road, and using an 85,000-square-foot building across the street as well as additional space at another location to meet the fast-growing company's needs.
Organogenesis recently reached an agreement to buy the other Dan Road property, and plans to move some administrative employees there by February.
MacKay said the company still needs clearance from the Food and Drug Administration before any manufacturing work can be done there.
MacKay said it's possible the company would then use another similarly sized space in the area.
The other two sites under consideration involve more ambitious projects to put the operations under one roof, according to MacKay. One site would involve constructing a new campus from the ground up, and another would involve buying a pre-existing building.
MacKay said the company has a local site in mind for each of the three options. ''We have three sites right now that are on the short list,'' he said.
Buying the property at 85 Dan Road gives the company additional time to make a decision, helping ensure that company officials don't pick a new location out of panic to keep up with the company's growth, MacKay said.
About 280 people work for the company now. By the end of the year, MacKay expects it will employ about 220 people in Canton and 80 sales and marketing staffers in other locations around the country. That would represent a roughly 50 percent increase from the size of the work force in January, when about 200 people, including 160 in Canton, worked for Organogenesis.
The number of employees could double during the next four years after Organogenesis picks an expansion plan.
Sales of the privately owned company have risen from $41 million in 2006 to a projected $56 million this year, primarily due to an increase in the use of Apligraf, MacKay said. The company is also benefiting from an increase in revenue through a partnership with NMT Medical of South Boston to make and sell BioSTAR®, an implant that helps fix a heart defect.
