Smith & Nephew to move a division U.S. headquarters to Fort Worth

Medical technology giant Smith & Nephew selected Fort Worth on Tuesday for the U.S. headquarters of its Advanced Wound Management division after receiving some tax incentives from the City Council.

The London-based firm will lease 55,000 square feet of office space in the Clearfork development along the Chisholm Trail Parkway. The site will house 100 of its 200 Fort Worth-based employees. The company is consolidating the current headquarters operations from St. Petersburg, Fla.

The Clearfork facility will house the division’s marketing, sales and finance staffs, the company said. The company also owns a factory and lab facility at 4900 W. Vickery Blvd.

Glenn Warner, president of the Advanced Wound Management division, called Fort Worth the “ideal location.”

“The city’s resources, its central location and proximity to DFW airport, and, most importantly, our many talented employees who call Fort Worth and the surrounding areas home made this the right decision for our future,” he said in a statement.

The City Council approved a five-year, $250,000 incentive for the company. Under the deal, Smith & Nephew will increase its Fort Worth staffing by 80 positions, to 250 employees, by Dec. 31, 2021.

Smith & Nephew employs about 14,000 workers worldwide. It acquired Fort Worth-based Healthpoint Biotherapeutics in 2012.

The City Council also approved a 10-year, $635,000 tax incentive for Fort Worth-based Galderma Laboratories.

Galderma, which makes dermatological pharmaceuticals, wants to build a $13.8 million, 100,000-square-foot expansion at its headquarters off Interstate 35W in north Fort Worth. The company said it plans to add 342 new jobs by Dec. 31, 2020, bringing its local employment to 622 workers. The annual average salary will be $110,000.

The company is also seeking Texas Enterprise Fund money. Galderma is also considering a New Jersey location for the expansion.

This story was originally published July 28, 2015 at 7:49 PM with the headline "Smith & Nephew to move a division U.S. headquarters to Fort Worth."