Tides Medical, a company that produces skin graft products to help treat wounds, is spending $1.5 million to upgrade its headquarters and manufacturing facility in Lafayette, which is expected to create 40 new direct jobs.

The expansion is expected to help the company increase its production of amniotic skin substitutes to meet growing demand, the Louisiana Governor’s Office said in a news release. The project is expected to retain 77 current jobs and add 54 new indirect jobs for around 94 new jobs total.

“Louisiana is proud to have Tides Medical as a part of the state’s vibrant and expanding life science sector,” said Gov. John Bel Edwards in a news release. “My administration is committed to growing and diversifying our economy through industries like biotechnology, and this is another milestone in our work. This expansion will allow Tides Medical to expand its mission to provide safe, effective treatments that improve health outcomes around the country while also creating good-paying jobs in Acadiana.”

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Tides Medical uses donated human tissue to create and distribute skin substitutes that can be used to treat a variety of wounds, including diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers and burns.

The construction for the expansion began in the summer of 2022 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.

“We believe that Louisiana biotech companies like Tides Medical play an important role in saving limbs and lives through the development and manufacturing of advanced treatments like our Artacent products for chronic wounds,” Tides Medical CEO Joe Spell said in a news release.

“As our population ages, we must invest in solutions that will prevent negative outcomes for patients with chronic wounds, including millions that receive no advanced wound care treatment today. We can do that here in Louisiana by creating quality jobs, and funding innovative research and development.”

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To secure the project, Louisiana Economic Development offered an incentive package including a $200,000 performance-based grant to reimburse equipment expenses. The grant is contingent on the company meeting employment and payroll targets.

“We are thrilled to share the news of Tides Medical’s manufacturing facility and headquarters expansion,” said Lafayette Economic Development Authority President and CEO Mandi D. Mitchell in a news release. “Since establishing in Lafayette in 2009, Tides has been an innovator in the biotechnology field serving clients across the U.S. I applaud CEO Joe Spell for choosing to grow this company right here at home, and I look forward to seeing Tides Medical continue its growth in Lafayette with 40 new direct jobs in the high-wage, high-demand medical and manufacturing fields.”

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This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Tides Medical adding 40 new jobs to Lafayette facility