2009 News

May 4, 2009

Commissioners Approve KOEZ Application for Express Scripts
Special Meeting Generates Unanimous Vote from Board

During a special meeting Friday in the Bucks County Courthouse Community Room, Commissioners Charles H. Martin, chairman, James F. Cawley, Esq. and Diane M. Ellis-Marseglia, LCSW unanimously approved a Pennsylvania Keystone Opportunity Expansion Zone (KOEZ) application on behalf of Express Scripts, a pharmaceutical fulfillment corporation currently located on Marshall Ln. in Bensalem Twp.

The proposed lease terms include a 10-year contract with three five-year options, according to Tom Rocheford, vice president of corporate real estate for the St. Louis-headquartered Express Scripts. Through the KOEZ application, the company also commits to creating at least 64 new jobs. Rocheford was joined during his presentation by Paul Acker, who handles provider relations for Express Scripts. The pair emphasized the company’s commitment to Bucks County, which also includes 700 jobs at its Trevose facility – making it one of the county’s largest employers. Express Scripts plans to invest more than $50 million in the new Bristol Township complex.

Robert Cormack, executive director of the Bucks County Economic Development Corporation, explained to the board that the 15-acre tract that Express Scripts plans to occupy fits all of the specifications of a KOEZ. Asked by Commissioner Cawley how he expects the application to fare at the state level, Cormack predicted, “Ninety-nine, point nine percent (chance of success).”

“It looks like a good deal for everybody,” Chairman Martin observed. Both Bristol Township and the Bristol Township School District previously approved the KOEZ application.

To listen to a complete audio account of the meeting, please visit www.BucksCounty.org and click on the Commissioners’ Meetings audio link, located on the bottom left of the home page.