LI drugmaker aims to expand, hire 300

A large manufacturer of generic drugs in Hauppauge hopes to hire about 300 people in the next few years as it expands production, officials said last week.

LNK International Inc. wants to buy a 110,000-square-foot building at 325 Kennedy Dr. in Hauppauge and a vacant lot at nearby 60 Plant Ave. Both sites would eventually become factories, supplementing work now done in eight buildings in the area, executives said.

The $13.7 million project would allow LNK to consolidate its Bohemia operation with the Hauppauge facilities. It plans to spend $2 million on renovations to the Kennedy Drive building but would probably not use the vacant lot for some time.

Joseph Mollica, executive vice president at LNK, said the company has grown rapidly since its founding in 1980 because of the popularity of generic drugs. Records show its sales total about $300 million a year.

Nearly 1,600 people work for LNK, making pain relievers, sleep aids, decongestants, cold medicine, laxatives and stomach remedies sold under other company names at retail chains such as Costco and Rite Aid. Annual salaries average $34,806 per year.

About a dozen pharmaceutical companies are spending millions of dollars on expansions locally and together hiring hundreds of workers. Besides LNK, they include Amneal Pharmaceuticals in South Yaphank, Contract Pharmacal in Hauppauge and PL Developments in Westbury.

Last week, the Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency backed LNK's project with about $2.5 million in tax breaks. Most of the savings will come from a $1.4 million cut in property taxes over 15 years on the company's eight existing plants and $1 million off taxes over 20 years on the Kennedy Drive building but not the land under it.

LNK had sought more last month, requesting a $4.2 million reduction in property taxes over 20 years. But Mollica said Friday he appreciated Suffolk's support, along with that of New York State.

"We want to remain competitive," he said. "Our biggest competitor is in the middle of the country, so their transportation costs are much lower."

Suffolk IDA officials said last week that LNK has been wooed by Michigan, Ohio and Texas to leave Long Island.

"We want to help the company . . . my only concern is the impact to schools, library districts, the county and other local governments when we reduce current taxes," said IDA vice chairman David Rosenberg, referring to LNK's request for a property tax cut.