PA Chamber President and CEO Luke Bernstein attended Investor Member Johnson & Johnson’s announcement last week that it will make a more than $1 billion investment in Montgomery County toward the construction and operation of a next-generation cell therapy manufacturing facility. The facility will further expand the company’s U.S. manufacturing capacity as it advances transformational medicines for cancer, immune-mediated, and neurological diseases.
In building this facility, Johnson & Johnson will continue its investment in cutting-edge manufacturing processes and training to develop a workforce skilled in advanced technologies that are shaping the future of medicine. It will support more than 4,000 construction jobs during site development, and more than 500 skilled biomanufacturing jobs when fully operational.
The investment further strengthens Johnson & Johnson’s longstanding economic impact across Pennsylvania, which totals approximately $10 billion annually. With 10 facilities encompassing more than 2 million square feet dedicated to manufacturing, research, distribution, and office operations, Johnson & Johnson maintains one of the most significant, statewide footprints in the healthcare industry.
“Johnson & Johnson’s announcement builds on recent momentum, including Eli Lilly’s $3.5 billion commitment in the Lehigh Valley, and reinforces that when Pennsylvania advances smart, pro‑growth policies, employers respond with real investment,” PA Chamber President and CEO Luke Bernstein said in a statement.
“This investment is the result of focused, bipartisan efforts in recent years by the General Assembly and the Shapiro administration to strengthen Pennsylvania’s business climate. Pro-growth tax reforms and meaningful permitting improvements are making our state more competitive for large-scale, transformative projects,” he added.
The PA Chamber’s key role in creating the business-friendly climate that was needed to attract Johnson & Johnson’s investment was spotlighted at a press conference, where Gov. Shapiro and Pennsylvania Building and Construction Trades Council President Rob Bair both praised the PA Chamber’s leadership on policies that are improving Pennsylvania’s competitiveness and driving our economic momentum forward.
“We want to thank Luke Bernstein, who leads our Pennsylvania Chamber … we went from being 48th in the nation in permitting times to literally now being the national model in permitting times. I appreciate the work the Chamber has done with us on that,” Gov. Shapiro said.
“I have to give a shoutout to my partner, Luke Bernstein,” Bair said. “Twenty years ago, you did not see the president of the building trades and the president of the PA Chamber having lunch together, working together on economic policy, working together on workforce development…And at the end of the day, when Luke and I sit down…we want a thriving Pennsylvania. We want a good business climate. We want businesses to come here and create good paying careers.”
“Pennsylvania leads in life sciences and advanced manufacturing because we consistently deliver what companies like Johnson & Johnson need to succeed: a skilled workforce, premier research institutions, and proven manufacturing strength,” U.S. Senator Dave McCormick added. “This $1 billion-plus investment in a new Lower Gwynedd facility is a testament to that leadership and will produce life-changing treatments for patients, along with new and good jobs for our Commonwealth.”