Elanco opens new headquarters, some anticipate era of health innovation in the state

A long-awaited project that’s part of the overhaul of the old GM stamping plant site near downtown Indianapolis is complete.

Elanco Animal Health opened its new global headquarters Wednesday. State and local leaders attended a ribbon-cutting event and said the project could be a catalyst for the health industry and innovation in Indiana.

“It’s always a combination of having good policy and [a] good environment that is going to be conducive to new ideas and entrepreneurialism,” said Indiana Governor Mike Braun. 

The $200 million building is the cornerstone of the newly dubbed OneHealth Innovation District. Elanco President and CEO Jeff Simmons says the district will open opportunities in the Hoosier state.

“That's going to cross human, animal, plant and environmental health, and really, this state has the forces to do that better than anybody else. I said today, I believe – OneHealth, we're going to be as known for that as we are for sports in the state of Indiana,” Simmons said.

Purdue University also committed to building in the Innovation District.

Elanco recently purchased the rest of the nearly 100-acre site that sits on the White River, across from downtown. The project has been in the works for five years and is supported by financial incentives from the state and city.

The redevelopment of the site also delivers a city infrastructure improvement. Indianapolis is building a new mulit-use bridge to extend the Cultural Trail across the river. 

“With this bridge that comes in, the Henry Street Bridge, we're connecting the Valley to the Circle,” Simmons said, “Indianapolis just got bigger.”

The project also involves an expansion of the White River State Park. The plans presented last year used a skeleton structure from the original GM plant, to be reused as a community and event center in the park. That structure was torn down last month, and reports indicate that plan was too expensive.

The new Elanco building has outdoor workspaces, labs, an incubator space and athletic facilities. It also includes art projects and native plantings and is a dog friendly campus.

The company employs more than 9,400 people around the world, with 725 of those in Indiana.

Braun said the milestone may mark a thriving future for business in the state.

“We need to make sure they choose Indiana as a place, whenever they're looking to expand,” he said, “and then we reap the benefits – all collectively as Hoosiers – whether you live in the city or across the state.”

The site sat empty for a decade, after operations at the stamping plant stopped in 2011.

Contact WFYI Managing City Editor Jill Sheridan at jsheridan@wfyi.org.