COLUMBUS. Ga. (AP) - A company that makes and assembles medical specimen kits will more than double its number of employees in Columbus, adding 350 workers as it invests $5 million.
Path-Tec announced its plans Thursday. The expansion will bring its employment to 565 in Columbus, where the company began operations in 2005.
The company supplies specimen kits to detect the coronavirus and has grown rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides kits, the company also provides software that manages couriers and supplies, as well as specimen tracking.
Path-Tec will open a 106,000 square-foot (10,000 square-meter) facility to assemble and distribute specimen kits. The company will also make some parts of the kits there.
“During a year where we learned the importance of health care logistics and supply chain solutions, it is great to see a Georgia business in this field continuing to grow in their home state,” Georgia Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson said in a statement.
Path-Tec will qualify for a state income tax credit allowing it to deduct $2,500 per job from its Georgia income taxes for five years, worth up to $4.4 million. For Path-Tec to qualify, workers must make at least $28,000 a year.
Final incentives have not been agreed on yet, said Marie Hodge Gordon, spokeswoman for the Georgia Economic Development Department. Columbus could abate local property taxes and the state could chip in to train workers. Path-Tec will automatically qualify for tax breaks that could save it sales taxes on machinery.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.