Jeff Tyber, President & CEO of Tyber Medical, and an employee at the company’s Lehigh Valley facility in 2017.

Four years after relocating to Lehigh Valley from New Jersey, Tyber Medical is continuing to grow and thrive, having announced new plans this week to expand its manufacturing operation in Hanover Township, Northampton County.

The manufacturer of orthopedic and spinal implants is investing more than $7 million in an expansion that will support the creation and retention of a combined 86 jobs in Lehigh Valley, more than doubling the company’s workforce and size.

“This project is an excellent example of the spirit of collaboration here in Lehigh Valley,” said Don Cunningham, President & CEO of Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC). “Many stakeholders came together to make this expansion possible, and we’re grateful to our partners in Northampton County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for all the resources they’ve brought to the table.”

The project includes an expansion into a 35,000 square-foot space adjacent to their current facility at Lehigh Valley Industrial Park IV, as well as a renovation of the existing facility and the purchase of new equipment and job training for new and existing employees.

In total, the project is expected to create 35 new full-time, high-paying jobs, and allow for the retention of 51 existing jobs over the next three years, according to Jeff Tyber, President & CEO of Tyber Medical.

“We are excited to have the continued support of Governor Wolf and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to expand our headquarters to accommodate the company’s rapid growth and future plans,” Tyber said. “Our focus to excellence within the orthopedic device industry has yielded extraordinary growth that we are meeting by attracting talent throughout the Lehigh Valley area.”

LVEDC has long worked with Tyber Medical, providing information about financing options and economic and workforce data, and working in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Governor’s Action Team when Tyber Medical relocated here from New Jersey.

Last month, the Northampton County Industrial Development Authority – for which LVEDC provides administrative services – awarded Tyber Medical a $100,000 job creation grant for this expansion project.

“We’re pleased that NCIDA has been able to help support a project that is not only creating jobs in Lehigh Valley, but is creating high-quality, high-paying jobs in a key target sector for the Lehigh Valley economy,” said Marilyn Lieberman, NCIDA chair.

Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure added: “Tyber Medical is another example of the fantastic companies that are experiencing growth and success after investing in our region. It’s companies like this that have helped make the manufacturing sector so strong here in Northampton County and Lehigh Valley.”

The Lehigh Valley Economic Investment Corporation, which LVEDC also administers, is currently working on a Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority (PIDA) low-interest loan to assist with the purchase of machinery and equipment for the new facility.

Additionally, LVEDC has connected Tyber Medical’s executive team with officials from PA Careerlink regarding local workforce opportunities.

“Tyber Medical’s expansion project is so important because not only does it provide good-paying, family-sustaining jobs for Lehigh Valley families, but also because it contributes to building Pennsylvania’s entire manufacturing sector,” Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf said. “I applaud Tyber Medical for selecting Pennsylvania as the place to continue its growth in the years ahead.”

Since Tyber Medical’s relocation from New Jersey in 2015, the company has grown from a few employees to 35 employees with an average annual salary over $100,000 and now requires additional space to continue to hire additional employees, according to the state.

The availability of skilled labor is crucially important to medical device manufacturing companies. That is one of the reasons attracting talent is a key factor in the Made Possible in Lehigh Valley marketing campaign recently launched by LVEDC.

Tyber Medical is an orthopedic device manufacturer addressing the industry’s need for rapid access to regulatory cleared systems in the spine, trauma, and distal extremity markets. Focused on rapid commercialization and bioengineering technology, Tyber has released 14 spine and 25 trauma/extremity systems since its founding in 2012.