Seventy years is a long time, and it’s been a fruitful one for CSL Behring, the global biotechnology company with a location along Illinois Route 50 in Bourbonnais Township.
CSL Behring broke ground in 1951 on the site it still occupies in a then-$14 million investment. It opened its lab doors in 1953 and since has grown into the area’s largest manufacturing plant, with 1,500 employees.
CSL is celebrating its 70th anniversary in Kankakee County.
Abner Garcia-Delgado, vice president of the CSL Behring plant in Bourbonnais Township, accepts a plaque from Kankakee County Board Chairman Andy Wheeler, left, honoring the company with a proclamation for its 70th anniversary.
“It’s really remarkable milestone for our global biotech company,” said Abner Garcia-Delgado, vice president of the local plant, as he addressed the Kankakee County Board on Tuesday. “And if we just look at our history, it goes back to the 1800s. We’re part of the Armour company that was founded in Chicago in the 1800s, and we’re proud of that long history. And at the same time, we are looking forward for many years to come.”