Biomanufacturing is experiencing a historic surge: Since January, leading pharma and biotech companies have pledged $520 billion to expand their manufacturing capacity in the United States. To capitalize on this once-in-a-generation opportunity, Ohio is leaning on its manufacturing roots to train the next generation of workers in this burgeoning industry.

As part of its workforce strategy, JobsOhio (the state’s private nonprofit economic development corporation) recently announced a $30 million investment over five years to establish a state-of-the-art training center in Central Ohio. In partnership with local economic development organization One Columbus and the Ohio Life Sciences Association (OLS), this training center will serve as the state’s hub for building a highly skilled workforce of biomanufacturing technicians and operators. Scheduled to open in early 2027, the facility will feature laboratories, simulated clean rooms, and classroom space to prepare students for a career in the life sciences.

Community colleges, technical centers, industry associations and state and local government are uniting to support Ohio’s existing life sciences partners and attract additional industry leaders to the state. The “hub-and-spoke” training model will establish a biomanufacturing workforce education program across the state, creating regional pipelines to meet industry needs.

Big Companies, Big Bets

Founded in 2017, Hims & Hers has become one of the fastest-growing direct-to-consumer brands in history. In 2019, Hims & Hers chose Ohio to build a distribution center and mail order pharmacy due to the state’s strategic central location, the nation’s best infrastructure, and low risk of natural disasters.

Ohio’s strategic competitive advantages primed the company for growth. And grow it did: In December 2025, Hims & Hers announced plans to invest more than $200 million to expand its existing operations and add a second facility to house areas for research and development, quality control, compounding, training, fulfillment and distribution. The project is expected to create up to 400 new jobs, for a total of more than 650 Hims & Hers employees in Central Ohio.

Personalized medicines are transforming how care is delivered, which will create new types of jobs and new demands for serving customers.

“As more customers come to Hims & Hers to access the care they need, we’re growing our ability to meet demand for affordable, high-quality treatments,” said Hims & Hers Chief Operating Officer Mike Chi. “We’re proud to continue investing deeply in Ohio. The community and our operations here are key to our commitment to delivering a simple, safe, and personalized experience for every customer who trusts us with their health and wellness journey.”

Amgen, a global leader in biotechnology, entered the Ohio market in 2020 with a $300 million investment and commitment to hire 400 employees. Construction of the site took only 26 months from groundbreaking to approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in January 2024, making it the most rapid site completion in Amgen’s nearly 45-year history.

Ohio proved the right choice for Amgen to bring products quickly and efficiently to market. In April 2025, Amgen announced a $900 million expansion of its operations in the Columbus area. This project brings Amgen’s total investment in Ohio to $1.2 billion and 750 employees.

Hims & Hers and Amgen are just two examples of industry leaders set to benefit from Ohio’s investment in its people. American Regent, Pharmavite, Resilience, Hikma, and Thermo Fisher are among the list of growing, thriving players in Ohio’s robust pharma and biotech ecosystem.

“Partnering on the biomanufacturing workforce initiative strengthens the region’s ability to develop and attract top biomanufacturing talent,” said Amgen Vice President of Site Operations Sandra Rodriguez-Toledo. “This investment helps Amgen further strengthen the skilled workforce we need, while expanding career pathways in biotechnology for communities across Ohio.”

Building the Future of Medicine in Ohio

The workforce initiative is just part of the state’s heavy investment in the life sciences industry.

In 2020, JobsOhio and the State of Ohio invested more than $400 million to establish innovation districts in Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati. This Ohio Discovery Corridor is a powerful network of world-class medical and research facilities, leading academic institutions and private companies spurring innovation and driving technological change within the industry. Nine anchor institutions—including the Cleveland Clinic, The Ohio State University, Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center—head a collaborative effort to share space, funding, connections, infrastructure and a growing pipeline of STEM talent to create opportunities for groundbreaking discoveries.

OLS, which represents the interests of Ohio’s nearly 5,000 life sciences establishments, has secured $7 million in grants over the last few years from the State of Ohio to create new programs like BioPathways (a new K-12 career awareness program), launch a biotech career matchmaking portal, and build a new Industry Hub and Learning Center.

“Ohio has recognized that investing in talent, infrastructure and capital are essential for unlocking the potential of our statewide life science ecosystem. And these investments are being made right now,” said Eddie Pauline, OLS president and CEO. “These transformational investments—combined with Ohio’s assets and expertise, attractive sites and incentive packages, and statewide network of collaborative partners—position Ohio among the top life science-friendly states for doing business.”

The future of medicine is being built in Ohio, and patients’ lives around the world are already being changed for the better because of it.