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Merck celebrated a come-full-circle moment June 20, officially marking the opening of its reimagined Rahway campus as its new headquarters with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Over a 120-year legacy, the 200-acre site – which spans both Rahway and Linden and houses more than 6,000 employees – has grown from one manufacturing plant to more than 100 buildings. The property has been at the center of many of the pharmaceutical giant’s scientific breakthroughs – from penicillin to cortisone and lovastatin – and Merck says that tradition of innovation will continue there, as the company convenes all of its New Jersey-based operations into this one location—a process several years in the making.

“Our journey to get to this point started five years ago,” said Sharon Rose, facilities lead for the Rahway campus, during the ceremony, which took place outside of historic Building 60. “Plans were made in the early stages to consolidate our New Jersey sites and bring all of our divisions together to create a modern, neighborhood-based environment centered around science and innovation. And it’s been quite the journey since we officially announced a return to our headquarters in April of 2020. First, we started looking through how much had to be done to bring our colleagues together from Whitehouse Station, Branchburg, Kenilworth, and Madison back to our site. And we faced some unexpected challenges.”

Of course, those challenges started with the unprecedented global pandemic, and the new normal it brought along with it.

“We really had to revisit what we thought we needed to do to consolidate our campuses,” Rose continued. “And, still, we kept going. Our teams continued to pull together to prepare buildings, our campus, and our colleagues for this day. Through this time a lot of work has been done. We’ve been modernizing, optimizing, renovating our existing office space and lab buildings, designing a wide range of innovative space to support our employee experience.”

Additional upgrades to the campus include more parking, a multi-purpose auditorium, and the new FLEx Center—a $450-million investment in a learning and manufacturing facility.

‘Rahway has a vibe’

Before turning the stage over to some of the other dignitaries, leaders and stakeholders who were at Tuesday ribbon cutting, including Merck CEO and Chairman Rob Davis; Gov. Phil Murphy; Senate President Nick Scutari, D-22nd District; Rahway Mayor Raymond Giacobbe Jr.; Linden Mayor Derek Armstead; and others, Rose shouted out the efforts of the team who helped make this day a reality.

“This campus is really a very special place. Rahway has a vibe,” she explained. “It has a feeling. It has the feel of a casual college campus. And it is rich in the history of innovation and breakthrough science that inspires us each day and reminds us of our purpose here at Merck – to use the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world.”

Scutari noted how close he grew up to the Rahway campus and how vital it is to the area.

“This is a coming home for Merck and greatly appreciated here for our communities,” he said.

“I couldn’t be more pleased, that now, for the first time in 50 years, we’re bringing back together all of the different divisions and functions, within Merck, to one place,” said Davis.

By bringing that cohesion to the Rahway campus, the CEO said it will offer Merck a great opportunity to ideate, innovate and invent on behalf of patients and toward keeping people healthy.

“Rahway is the birthplace of Merck Research Laboratories, where our ongoing journey of innovative biopharmaceutical research and development began,” said Davis. “A century later, we begin a new chapter of discovery and hope for all humanity.”

He added that the research-focused campus in Rahway represents the company’s dedication to pursuing scientific excellence. “Here, we will continue to build on the legacy of all those – past and present – who have made Merck what it is today,” Davis said.

According to the governor, this type of announcement and commitment is not just about economic development—but it also makes a statement about New Jersey’s role as a life sciences, biopharma and innovation economy leader, noting that Merck sits at the center stage of that vision and reality.

“This is a big day,” said Murphy. “It’s a big day for Merck, I get that. But it’s a big day for Jersey. This validates what we are about, who we are about. We have the highest concentration of scientists and engineers per square mile of anywhere in the world. And this campus speaks directly to that.”

In addition to the economic development and legacy aspects of the Rahway reimagination, the governor, echoing Merck’s CEO, stressed that it is about keeping people healthy and doing right by society, with the Garden State helping to lead the way.

“The economic impact of this site, which will boast more than 6,000 employees and solidify New Jersey’s standing as a global pharmaceuticals hub, cannot be overstated,” said Murphy. “Most importantly, the unveiling of Merck’s Rahway headquarters will enable this prolific company to continue its legacy of life-changing medical discoveries that have shaped the history of our state and the nation as a whole.”