Healthcare & Life Sciences
Pearland and the greater Houston region have an outstanding industry presence in the life sciences and healthcare. The Life Science industry in the Houston region is fueled by exceptional amount of clinical trials and research & development taking place in the Texas Medical Center, along with over 320,000 people employed in the Life Science/Healthcare industry throughout the region.
THE TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER
Specializing in cardiovascular research and treatment (Debakey Institute) as well as oncology (M.D. Anderson), the Texas Medical Center (TMC) has garnered global recognition for its research contributions. Complementing this research base is a complex assortment of regional hospitals and treatment facilities capable of treating any condition. It is the combination of both research and treatment that make the TMC unique.
Pearland is located just minutes from the TMC and its 61 medical institutions and 100,000+ employees, placing Pearland in a strategic position to attract research, treatment and health care support facilities. Pearland’s 77584 zip code is home to more TMC workers than any other zip code in the Houston region.
As a hub for medical device manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and health research, Houston has more than 1,760 life sciences companies, cutting-edge health care facilities and research institutions. The healthcare and life sciences industries collectively employ 320,500 workers, making these larger than Houston’s energy sector. The region’s growth in employment, high concentration of key scientists, National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, quality and quantity of educational intuitions, and medical research and health services institutions make this one of the largest centers of medicine and related science in the world.
Benefits for life sciences and health care companies in the Pearland region include:
Access to Talent: Currently over 15% of Pearland residents work in the health care sector. With a median age of 35.3 and close to half of the adult population holding a four-year degree or higher, Pearland employers have access to a young, diverse workforce. And this growth shows no signs of slowing down. Over the next five years, the fastest growing occupation group in Pearland is expected to be healthcare support occupations with a 2.7% year-over-year rate of growth.
Location: Pearland’s location at the intersection of State Highway 288 and Beltway 8 has made the community a strategic choice for life science employers and health care providers looking to attract talent and serve our rapidly growing market.
Lower Kirby: Lower Kirby is a 1,200-acre mixed use district on the west side of Pearland. Lower Kirby is capturing a significant portion of office, retail, commercial and industrial projects as the Houston market continues to grow and expand. There has been a concerted effort by the community to attract biotech and life sciences companies to this area and the majority of Pearland’s life science employers are located in Lower Kirby.
Education: Pearland values academics, and high-quality education is a major reason new residents move to Pearland. Residents have a wealth of choices for higher education with more than 60 degree-granting institutions in the region, including the University of Houston – Clear Lake Pearland campus. Pearland has educational attainment levels well above the national average. 49.7% of Pearland’s adult population holds a four-year degree or higher, compared to the national average of 32.9%.
Quality of Life: A very diverse and globally connected community, Pearland residents have access to outstanding schools, safe neighborhoods and a superb quality of life. With easy access to world-class entertainment, accessible airports, and world-class recreational opportunities, Pearland offers something for everyone.
LIFE SCIENCE IN PEARLAND:
Lonza Houston, Inc., a Swiss pharmaceutical and biotech company, debuted a 300,000 square-foot life science facility in Pearland, currently the largest dedicated cell and gene therapy manufacturing facility in the world. The company sought a location for this “Center of Excellence” that would provide a diverse workforce and convenience to its first Houston location in the Texas Medical Center area, while maintaining a presence on the “third coast” of biotech. While the initial facility was under construction, Pearland competed with other locations nationwide and was ultimately selected as the location for a 200,000 square-foot expansion to allow the production of commercial quantities of viral gene and cell therapies. Since the facility’s opening in 2018, Lonza has continued to expand its facility, investing in additional laboratories, clean rooms and parking for the Pearland facility.
Millar, Inc., a leading developer and manufacturer of pressure sensor-enabled devices, opened its state-of-the-art 56,000-square-foot facility located on a five-acre site on N. Spectrum Boulevard in Pearland’s Lower Kirby District in 2023. The move to Pearland was made possible through a partnership with the PEDC and Pearland city officials, who began working with Millar in 2017 on its relocation to Pearland. The site Millar selected for its facility was part of a tract owned by PEDC, which was sold to Millar.
Merit Medical Systems, a global medical device company, opened its 118,000 square foot research and development and manufacturing facility on a 12-acre site just north of Shadow Creek Ranch in the Lower Kirby District. Headquartered in Utah, Merit serves hospitals worldwide by manufacturing more than 2,000 proprietary, disposable medical devices used in diagnostic and interventional cardiology and radiology procedures. Approximately 400 employees work at the Pearland location.
Abbott, formerly Cardiovascular Systems Inc., opened its 46,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facilities for the manufacturing of commercialized interventional treatment systems for vascular disease.
Adient Medical, a medical device manufacturer that develops implantable medical devices that dissolve for the prevention of pulmonary embolism, expanded its offices with a relocation to a 1,900 square-foot office and research space in Reflection Bay at Shadow Creek. The company was founded in Pearland in 2012.
Base Pair Biotechnologies, a provider of aptamer discovery and development services for research institutions, universities and pharmaceutical companies opened its office in Pearland in 2014. The company develops aptamers, novel chemical components for research and medical DNA diagnostics, which can be used as substitutes for antibodies in many applications. In 2017, the company relocated to a larger office and laboratory space in Pearland.
HEALTHCARE DEVELOPMENTS IN PEARLAND
HCA Houston Healthcare opened its HCA Healthcare Center for Clinical Advancement in Pearland Town Center in 2021. HCA Houston Healthcare, a leading provider of healthcare in the Houston area, treats almost a million patients every year. With an employee base of 15,000, HCA Houston Healthcare’s comprehensive network includes 13 hospitals, 10 outpatient surgery centers, 11 freestanding emergency centers and numerous freestanding diagnostic imaging facilities in the greater Houston area. The 48,400 square-foot, state-of-the-art training center will house high-fidelity hospital simulation labs, connected classrooms and de-briefing rooms, where the health system’s nearly 7,000 nurses will receive ongoing clinical education and training. The center will also serve as a hub for all HCA Houston Healthcare new hire orientations and the division’s Leadership and Organizational Development training.
Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) also operates HCA Houston Healthcare Pearland, a 97-bed, acute care hospital in Pearland. HCA Healthcare Houston Pearland is located at the southwest intersection of Highway 288 and County Road 2234 (Shadow Creek Parkway) on a 48-acre site that is currently home to a full-service, freestanding 24-hour emergency department, imaging center and a 3-story, 80,000 square-foot medical office building. HCA Houston Healthcare Pearland is a 144,000 square-foot, $71 million facility featuring surgical suites, medical/surgical beds, intensive care beds, an emergency department, and an imaging department that will include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computerized tomography (CT), catheterization lab, echocardiogram testing, and nuclear medicine modalities.
Memorial Hermann‘s medical campus in Pearland includes a 4-story, 64-bed acute care hospital that features an intensive care unit, operating rooms, cardiac catheterization labs, medical/surgical units, women’s and neonatology services. The multi-purpose complex is located on a 40-acre site that is also home to an outpatient imaging center, diagnostic lab services, and two medical office buildings.
Kelsey Seybold relocated its administrative headquarters to Pearland. The 170,000 square-foot, four-story office building is located on an 18-acre site in Shadow Creek Ranch on the northeast corner of Kirby Drive and Shadow Creek Parkway, just west of State Highway 288. The administrative offices are home to 800 employees who support Kelsey-Seybold’s 370 physicians providing primary care and specialty care at 20 clinic locations throughout the region. Kelsey Seybold also operates a clinic in Pearland, along with the company’s administrative headquarters. The three-story, 55,000 square-foot clinic, located at 2515 Business Center Drive, is home to physicians specializing in Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatric Medicine, OB/GYN, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Orthopedics-Sports Medicine, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation/Spine, Podiatry and Pulmonary and Critical Care medicine.
Interim Healthcare selected Pearland as the location for its Houston regional headquarters facility, leasing 4,600 square-feet in the Trinity Professional Building on Country Place Parkway. Founded in 1966, Interim HealthCare provides home health care including skilled nursing, (RN/LVN) physical & occupational therapy, nurses, therapists, aides and other health care personnel. The Pearland office serves as the headquarters for the Houston regional franchise, which has been in operations for five years.
Houston Methodist opened a Comprehensive Care Center in Pearland that is home to physicians specializing in primary care, cardiology, and orthopedics & sports medicine.
Encompass Health opened a 40-bed rehabilitation hospital on Business Center Drive. In addition, the Medical Resort opened a location providing post-acute rehabilitation and in-patient skilled nursing on Business Center Drive.