Tampa drug development company Xcelience expanding, adding 45 jobs

Xcelience, a Tampa company that helps clients with early-stage drug development, said Monday it is expanding its local headquarters and adding 45 jobs over the next three years.

The firm pledged to add nine rooms to its existing 24,000-square-foot facility as well as develop a new, 24,000-square-foot facility nearby.

The expansion, which will more than double Xcelience's current work force, is tied to a state and local tax refund worth $135,000.

To qualify for the incentives, the new jobs must pay average salaries meeting or exceeding $46,833, or 115 percent of the Tampa Bay area's average annual wages.

Xcelience has been experiencing a strong rebound from the recession and needs more capacity and workers to meet its "rapidly expanding customer base," CEO and president Derek Hennecke said.

"Our goal is to remain in this community," Hennecke added. "We are excited to be a part of the local economic turnaround that we see beginning to occur in the Tampa Bay area."

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn applauded the news as a boost to efforts to grow the bay area's biotechnology industry.

Job openings include chemists and managers for drug preformulation and formulation.

For more information, visit xcelience.com/formula tion-development-careers.