In August, Eisai Inc. cut the ribbon on a 15-story, 332,800-square-foot space that serves as the hub for the company, which is the U.S. pharmaceutical subsidiary of Tokyo-based Eisai Co. Ltd. “We try and create an environment where everyone understands they matter,” Alex Scott, executive vice president, Integrity at Eisai, told NJBIZ. “They deeply matter. They’re not just a cog in the wheel.”

Eisai executives recently gave NJBIZ a tour of its new state-of-the-art Eisai hhceco Center headquarters at the ON3 Campus in Nutley, formerly the site of Roche’s headquarters.

“The official grand opening of the Eisai US hhceco Center reinforces our 30-year commitment to New Jersey and signifies the beginning of a new chapter as we establish an ecosystem platform to collaborate with industry, government, medical organizations and the community to deliver breakthrough medicines and new solutions that alleviate the health concerns of people so they can live healthier and more fulfilling lives,” said Ivan Cheung, chairman and CEO of Eisai Inc., global Alzheimer’s Disease officer, and senior corporate officer, Eisai Co. Ltd., at the ceremony. “We are so honored to celebrate this important milestone for our company with such an esteemed group of dignitaries and contributors to the New Jersey life sciences community.”

While the ribbon was cut in August, Eisai began moving into the facility in early 2022 from its previous Woodcliff Lake headquarters, with an earlier opening ceremony held in May.

The move coincided with the pandemic as Eisai signed the lease in May 2020. Eisai had already been planning an innovative and collaborative space for its 800 employees. As companies face the challenges of getting employees back to the office, the features and amenities Eisai offers at the new space seem even more timely.

Key features of the headquarters include: a dedicated space and resources to educate and motivate employees; a forum to hear from patients, advocacy partners and the community; an expansive cafeteria with chefs and a wide array of food choices, café bars, and a tech lab based on the Apple Genius Bar; a wellness center with a multi-purpose space that offers health classes and meditation; an auditorium; sweeping views of North Jersey and the Manhattan skyline; and more.

At the heart of the company is its “hhc” mission, which stands for human health care, a phrase stressed from the top by Eisai’s Global CEO, Haruo Naito, that aims to address health care’s most pressing challenges.

“The Company’s Corporate Philosophy is to give first thought to patients and their families, and to increase the benefits that health care provides to them,” the company said in a statement. “Under this Philosophy, the Company endeavors to become a human health care (hhc) company.”

The concept of hhc is to avoid sitting in a tower and not engaging with patients. And the new facility offers an opportunity to expand the ecosystem for that mission with the next phase of hhceco, which is about building alliances and partnerships to be more proactive about changing the course of disease and health.

“Empowering people to realize their fullest life,” the company said.

“It’s not just for treating diseases, but how do you prevent disease,” Scott explained.

That spirit of collaboration ties in with Prism Capital Partners LLC’s ON3 campus, which is building a robust life sciences and innovation ecosystem, including Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Seton Hall College of Nursing and School of Health and Medical Sciences, Quest Diagnostics, and Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation, combined with Eisai’s research and development, forming a critical mass of potential innovation in the decades ahead.

Having those stakeholders rooted in the campus was a huge attraction for Eisai. The history of the land was also a factor in the decision to relocate. Naito described the former Roche site as sacred ground that served as inspiration for Eisai.

And along with the collaborative hhc spirit, innovation serves as an area of focus for Eisai.

“The idea is this is a space where we can have patient groups and advocacy organizations come and engage with our employees and interact,” said Scott. “And we are even asking advocacy organizations if they want to use it for patient support groups.”

Scott said the company wants a space where staff can meet the community to collaborate and gain useful input working toward ideas and solutions that will help people.

“This is the spirit of the building,” he said.

Another objective for Eisai has been establishing itself in the Nutley and Clifton communities, an effort that has included supporting local organizations such as the Clifton Boys and Girls Club, Relay for Life in Clifton and Nutley, and the Nutley Chamber of Commerce.

Scott credited the community for its support. “They’ve welcomed us with open arms,” he said. “They’re really excited that we’re here.”

“The Township of Nutley is thrilled that Eisai has chosen the ON3 campus to relocate its state-of-the-art facility. We welcome them to our community and are excited about the future,” Nutley Mayor Dr. Joseph Scarpelli told NJBIZ. “With the current 800 Eisai employees and the potential to have up to 1,300 jobs at full capacity, their relocation to Nutley will help bring quality employment opportunities for our residents, stimulate our local and the regional economy, and allows for partnership with our local charitable organizations.”

“This is just another part of the huge success of redevelopment of the Roche site,” Clifton Mayor James Anzaldi said, noting that once that site closed, local officials were forced to take the lemon and make lemonade.

“It certainly is happening with the medical school and Quest, and now this new company all coming together for a corporate park that will be second to none,” Anzaldi added. “The company seems to be community-minded and that is another important part of every large corporate citizen of any city.”

“We are happy to welcome Eisai to Essex County,” Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo said a statement. “The amount of people they will employ and their impact on the local economy will breathe new life into the former Hoffman LaRoche site and return much needed ratables that will help stabilize Nutley and Clifton. We are proud they chose to relocate their headquarters to Essex County and look forward to a long relationship.”

Scott said the company plans to continue to get to know the community and expand interactions with neighbors. And employees have been extremely pleased with the new digs and the new community. In addition to the draw as a life sciences hub, Scott said the location itself, right on Route 3 and near Manhattan, is an asset to attract and retain talent, as well as help expand collaboration, partnerships, clinical trials and internships.

Scarpelli stressed just how much progress has been made on the campus.

“What only a few short years ago was a shuttered site is now a world-class redevelopment with 5,500 employees, faculty and students; combining pharmaceutical, research and development, medical education, diagnostics, biotechnology, biopharma, and corporate on a still expandable 116-acre site located within 9 miles of Manhattan and surrounded by 26 institutions of higher learning,” said Scarpelli. “The future collaboration among those already on this campus can only bring groundbreaking discoveries and treatment. It’s truly an exciting time not only for Nutley and Clifton, but New Jersey.”

“There’s a lot that can be done right here,” said Scott, noting those top-notch educational resources to help develop the educated workforce they need.

In the meantime, the company continues its transition to its new headquarters and the community, one that had the added hurdle of a pandemic to navigate and is squarely at the center of the redevelopment of an iconic New Jersey piece of land. “The rest of the site, we’re really looking forward to getting built out to make this a lot more dynamic,” Scott said.

“The Township is committed to partnering with Eisai to further their mission of delivering life changing therapies and healthcare solutions and share their vision for a world free from cancer, Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases,” said Scarpelli.