News: Fermenta shuts down local lab

FORT COLLINS – Somber and cynical moods prevail these days at Fermenta Animal Health Co., a research and development laboratory for theveterinary medical field.

The lab, functioning since 1986, is part of the fallout from the acquisition of the Sweden-based firm by German giant Boehringer Ingelheim.

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“It’s a typical large company acquiring a smaller one to improve product line,´ said Dave Heimbichner, facility manager at the Fort Collins lab. “We’rea satellite facility. It came as no surprise.”

Still, a dark atmosphere reigns among the remaining employees, who know their days with Fermenta are numbered.

Fermenta’s U.S.-operations were headquartered in Kansas City, with primary manufacturing in Elwood, Kan., and the lab in Fort Collins. Boehringer’s U.S. headquarters are in Connecticut, with its animal-health operations in St. Joseph, Mo.

Sixteen people were employed at Fermenta’s Fort Collins facility at 1512 Webster Ave. near the airport. Now, its down to five.

Of them, only one, Steve Stroh, will go to Boehringer. He will commute between Fort Collins and St. Joseph. The rest, Heimbichner said, are anticipating a Dec. 31 closure of the lab. None accepted Boehringer’s offers for relocation to Missouri or Kansas.

“We’re already pretty much shut down,” Stroh said. “It’s like a funeral around here.”

He said it’s entirely possible that the lab will close before December. The 23,000-square-foot building Fermenta owns will be placed for sale.

Despite the high number of animal-research related jobs in the area, Heimbichner said, it will be difficult for the ex-employees to find work at the same salary level.

“We’ll probably have to move elsewhere,” he said.