International Biotech Company Establishes North American Headquarters in Atlanta

ATLANTA, February 24, 2010 —The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) announced today that Barcelona, Spain-based biotechnology firm Sepmag Technologies selected Atlanta as its North American headquarters.  The company develops, manufactures and markets proprietary biotechnology products.  This project represents an initial investment of $150,000, and will create sales and specialized biotechnology engineering jobs as the company's Atlanta staff grows. 'Georgia's stock as a true competitor in the biotech sector is enhanced when we're able to attract leading international companies like Sepmag Technologies to do business in our state,' said Ken Stewart, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development.  'By choosing Georgia, Sepmag can tap into the state's competitive resources for this industry, including world-class research institutions, intellectual capital and a pipeline of the brightest talent.' Through proprietary magnet-based technologies, Sepmag Technologies develops precision equipment that serves the in vitro diagnostics (IVD) industry and the larger biotech community. The company was first introduced to the resources Georgia offers companies in this sector during the 2009 BIO International Convention in Atlanta. 'When our board decided to open the U.S. subsidiary, we first considered markets along the East Coast as primary locations,' said Sepmag CEO Lluis M. Martinez.  'After meeting the GDEcD staff last April, we were encouraged by the strong Georgia nanotechnology and biotech cluster. Coupled with the Hartsfield-Jackson airport, the result was to choose Atlanta as our North American base.' 'We are pleased to welcome Sepmag to the City of Atlanta's growing life science cluster,' said Gregg Simon, Manager of Business Engagement for the Atlanta Development Authority. "Sepmag's decision to select Atlanta for its North American headquarters is a reflection of the strength of Atlanta's knowledge assets anchored by Morehouse School of Medicine, Georgia Tech, Emory Healthcare and Georgia State University.  Many life science businesses start off small and grow to large operations and we are confident that they have selected the right environment in which to grow and prosper." GDEcD project manager Kornelius Bankston assisted the company with this location. About Sepmag Technologies SEPMAG Technologies develops, manufactures and markets precision magnetophoresis solutions. These systems can speed up and scale up biotechnology processes of purification and separation, reducing the time and number of steps, leading to increased productivity with lower initial investment. Visit www.sepmag.eu for more information. About GDEcD The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state's sales and marketing arm, the lead agency for attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and small businesses, locating new markets for Georgia products, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a location for film, music and digital entertainment projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development. For more information, visit www.georgia.org.