Prominent Swiss biomedical firm chooses Pinellas for major US expansion

IMT Analytics Inc., a Swiss biomedical testing-device company, expanded its operations into the U.S. with a new sales and service center in St. Petersburg, according to the Pinellas County Economic Development agency.

St. Pete's established life sciences and medical technologies industry base, excellent workforce potential and readily accessible Tampa International Airport made the Pinellas County location an easy choice for IMT, says Daniel Benz, IMT managing director, in a statement. 

"This is the perfect fit for us, and we are excited to launch our U.S. expansion in the city of St. Petersburg," Benz says.

IMT specializes in developing, manufacturing, selling and servicing biomedical testing devices. It is known globally for the high quality and dependability of its products and services, according to Pinellas County Economic Development.

According to Pinellas County officials, when IMT first began looking at locations in the U.S., the company focused on certain criteria to meet its needs. One was the time zone, which it wanted to be as close as possible to its headquarters in Switzerland. IMT also wanted availability of direct flights from Zurich, a good fit for a medical-devices company and an overall positive business and tax climate.

Florida quickly made the shortlist and the search narrowed when the company learned of Florida’s "high-tech corridor" and Tampa Bay's numerous and diverse medical device manufacturers, according to Pinellas County Economic Development officials.

Brent Barkway, Pinellas County Economic Development manager, says Florida boasts the second largest medical-device manufacturing industry in the U.S. and is ranked in the top five states for largest biotech research and development.

Locally, nearly half of all life sciences companies in the Tampa Bay region are located in Pinellas County.

"We knew we had the ideal location for IMT’s expansion needs," says Barkway.

Benz worked closely with Pinellas County Economic Development agency and the St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corporation to identify and address what IMT needed to make a U.S. location work. The two Pinellas County economic development organizations partner to provide companies like IMT with industry and demographic data, site location assistance, community information, and tools and resources available to fuel business growth, according to Pinellas County Economic Development officials.

"We introduced IMT to the city of St. Petersburg so Daniel could learn about programs like grants for job creation and talent attraction," says Anne Core, St. Pete Area EDC vice president of marketing and  communications. "Working with our partners at PCED, we helped Daniel and IMT explore the benefits of starting a new business venture in Florida."