Chandler hopes lab provides a boost. Covance swapped it original Price Corridor land for a 77-acre parcel near Chandler Municipal Airport at Gilbert and Ryan Roads. Covance began construction of its $175 million, 288,000-square-foot facility in July 2007. In January 2009, the bulk of the construction was completed and began moving in. Testing of experimental drugs begins April 2009.

Chandler officials believes the drug-testing complex has put the city on the cutting edge of medical research.

Stats: CEO Joe Herring, is a cancer survivor and one-time clinical-trial participant for an anti-invective drug.

• Business: Contract drug safety and efficacy testing.
• Drugs tested: One-third of all pharmaceutical drugs on the market, including medicine to treat heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, central nervous system disorders, even toenail fungus.
• Employees worldwide: 10,000
• Locations: 55 countries
• Annual revenue: $1.7 billion
• Local address: 2701 E. Ryan Road
• Cost of Chandler facility: $175 million
• Expected annual contribution to the local economy: $1.8 million in taxes.
• Number of Chandler employees at buildout: 2,000