In 1991, Adesis, Inc. was founded as CB Research and Development in Newport, Delaware: one of the first boutique chemistry Contract Research Organizations (CROs) in North America.

Fast forward nearly three decades, Adesis is now one of the fastest-growing life science companies in America. As a leading custom organic synthesis CRO, Adesis specializes in organic and organometallic synthesis to support the pharmaceuticals, biomaterials and catalyst industries. Today, its clients include seven of the top 10 Big Pharma companies as well as more than 100 companies in biotech, material science, agriculture, ophthalmology, and virtual reality.

Delaware Expansions and National Acquisition

Back in 1991, Adesis occupied a mere 2,000 square feet of space. In 2000, the company relocated to New Castle to grow its business. With 25,000 square feet―twelve times the size of its original space―Adesis began to build its business from the ground up, from laboratories in a warehouse environment to broadening its commercial horizons into diverse industries.

By mid-2016, the Adesis success story attained an even greater level of recognition when it was acquired by Universal Display Corporation (Nasdaq: OLED), a global leader in the OLED ecosystem. Nearly a year later, with plans of increasing critical mass and expanding its CRO offerings, Adesis purchased another New Castle building, essentially doubling its square footage to almost 50,000 square feet.

In October 2018, Adesis celebrated the grand opening of its new, state-of-the-art chemistry laboratories, where Adesis scientists perform leading-edge discovery, development, and commercialization services. Along with state and local Delaware officials, the Delaware Prosperity Partnership supported the expansion, awarding Adesis a $445,224 grant to help facilitate its growth, resulting in the creation of more high-tech jobs in Delaware.

Bringing International Talent to Delaware

Adesis’ leadership team believes in hiring talented chemists with exceptional work ethics, integrity, versatility and a commitment to deliver the best results. Today, the company has 103 employees, approximately 80 percent of which are PhD chemists from around the world.

That talent mindset has paid off. Currently, 73 percent of the company’s employees are located in New Castle, while the other 27 percent operate out of Adesis’ Wilmington office. Its workers have an average of five years of industry experience and the company enjoys a rare 93 percent employee retention rate. Adesis is also a sponsor of Delaware Innovation Space and has lab space at the DuPont Experimental Station in Wilmington.

“Benefitting Generations to Come”

When asked about the company’s latest expansion in Delaware, Senator Tom Carper summed up Adesis’ success story and its future impact on society perfectly: “We are thrilled that Adesis chose to make Delaware its home, and we are rooting for the company’s continued success and growth. This expansion not only means job growth here and now in Delaware, but a level of innovation that can benefit generations to come.”