Veterinary technology company Idexx has broken ground on a major expansion in in Westbrook.
The project will cost the company $62 million. It will add a multilevel, 135,000-square-foot expansion to the existing global headquarters. It is scheduled to open late next year.
Spokesman Pete DeWitt says more space is important for the growing company.
“We’re adding all sorts of different types of talent, because with the growth of our business comes a need for more people, new scientists, new people in research and development, new marketers,” he says.
The firm has been based in Westbrook since 1991 and employs 7,000 people worldwide, including 2,500 in Westbrook. Officials say the expansion will provide space for 600 more workers.
DeWitt says the added jobs aren't just good news not just for IDEXX, but for Maine.
"Our children today have a great place they can work right here in Maine," he says. "We work with a number of different businesses and vendors, so our growth really has these tremendous ripple effects beyond the company itself."