A Greenville-based medical technology startup officially opened its new state-of-the art facility and made a major donation supporting women’s health.
Med-tech company Samaritan Biologics celebrated the opening of its new $8 million facility with a recent ribbon cutting. The building at 215 Innovation Drive is in the new Flex Lab One at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) and includes five clean rooms, essential for the manufacturing of human amniotic allograft products for wound care and surgical applications.
Samaritan will add 85 new jobs over the next several years. Those jobs include executive leadership, specialized technical positions, quality management, regulatory affairs and tissue processing.
“What really set Greenville apart was the spirit of collaboration and the welcome we received from day one,” said Jerry Chang, managing partner and COO. “The entrepreneurial spirit here in Greenville and across the state of South Carolina is something we’ve felt at every stage of our journey.”
Chang, and CEO David Szalay founded Samaritan with David’s wife, Ginny, in 2019 and soon began operating in the Clemson University Biomedical Engineering Innovation Campus (CUBEInC).
The company marked the celebration of their new space with a $1.5 million donation to the PRISMA Health Upstate Foundation. The gift helps establish the Samaritan Biologics Endowed Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology, working to ensure mothers and their newborn children get the healthcare they need.
“We believe the true measure of success if not just what we build but what we give back,” Chang said during the presentation.
The donation was $500,000 higher than the initial commitment of $1 million the company initially pledged.
“I have shed many tears over the past few weeks over this gift,” said Dr. Kacey Young Echelberger, department chair for obstetrics and gynecology at PRISMA Health. “I had worked today to meditate not to cry and had not anticipated this surprise gift.”
Founded in 2019 in Memphis, Tenn., Samaritan Biologics is a female- and minority-owned business focused on regenerative biologics, enabling doctors to treat complex medical conditions in oncology, neurosurgery, sports medicine, wound care and urology.
Individuals interested in joining the Samaritan Biologics team should email resumes to [email protected].
Written by the City of Greenville.