LOUISVILLE, Ky. (May 15, 2025) – This week, Gov. Andy Beshear joined local officials and leaders from Zoetis, a world leader in animal health services, for the ribbon cutting of the company’s new diagnostics reference laboratory at the UPS Healthcare Labport in Louisville.
“The commonwealth’s health care services industry has seen consistent growth in recent years, and that is a testament to our skilled, diverse workforce,” said Gov. Beshear. “This ribbon cutting is an exciting next step for Zoetis and Kentucky. I want to thank company leaders for their commitment to Louisville and look forward to their continued success.”
The new 32,000-square-foot lab is part of a broader vision to meet increasing demand for diagnostics and advance the company’s mission to improve care for animals. The operation will allow the company to improve access to comprehensive diagnostic testing, including cytology, chemistry, hematology, microbiology, histology and more – all from one central lab. The expansion allows Zoetis to serve more clinics with speed and scale and will be co-located at the UPS Healthcare Labport, adjacent to UPS Worldport – the world’s largest integrated logistics hubs. This end-of-runway location enables Zoetis to receive diagnostic specimens quickly and deliver timely results to clinics across the country. The new lab is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2025.
“Our new Louisville lab is a state-of-the-art facility enabling faster, more accessible diagnostics results for our customers,” said Jamie Brannan, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Zoetis. “Thank you to our dedicated colleagues who advance care for animals each day, as well as our partners and local leaders who helped make this new reference lab possible.”
As the world’s leading animal health company, Zoetis Reference Laboratories provides complete clinical and anatomic pathology testing as well as endocrinology, microbiology, serology, hematology, chemistry and other advanced tests to nurture our world and humankind by advancing care for animals. After innovating ways to predict, prevent, detect and treat animal illness for more than 70 years, Zoetis continues to stand by those raising and caring for animals worldwide – from veterinarians and pet owners to livestock producers. The company’s leading portfolio and pipeline of medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and technologies make a difference in over 100 countries. A Fortune 500 company, Zoetis generated revenue of $9.3 billion in 2024 with approximately 13,800 employees. Since 2019, Zoetis has integrated several leading reference lab providers – including Ethos Diagnostic Science, Phoenix Lab and ZNLabs – into a unified diagnostics portfolio. Louisville has since emerged as a cornerstone of Zoetis’ U.S. reference lab network.
UPS Healthcare Labport is revolutionizing the health care industry by providing rapid processing and delivery of laboratory specimens in the U.S. The move-in ready lab space allows for quick and efficient turnaround times for diagnostic test results, reducing operating costs and allowing faster diagnosis and treatment for patients. The end-of-runway service connected to UPS Worldport leverages UPS’s premium logistics capabilities. UPS Healthcare Labport is combining a centralized commercial laboratory with its world-renowned logistics and transportation network to help accelerate patient care.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Zoetis Diagnostics to Louisville, joining a growing list of life science companies leveraging our city’s strengths as a global logistics hub and a leader in rapid turnaround lab services,” said Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg. “Thanks to the presence of UPS Worldport and Labport, Louisville continues to be at the forefront of growth and innovation in this field, attracting businesses that create high-wage jobs and reinforce our city's leadership in advanced diagnostics.”
Zoetis’ ribbon cutting builds on the best five-year period for economic growth in state history.
Since the beginning of his administration, Gov. Beshear has announced more than 1,100 private-sector new-location and expansion projects totaling over $35 billion in announced investments, creating more than 60,500 jobs. This is the highest investment figure secured during the tenure of any governor in the commonwealth’s history and $14 billion more than the next highest total.
The robust job creation has been accompanied by rising wages across the commonwealth. Since 2022, the average incentivized hourly wage has topped $26 in three consecutive years for the first time.
Gov. Beshear has announced some of the largest economic development projects in state history, which have solidified Kentucky as the electric vehicle battery production capital of the United States: Ford Motor Co. and SK On’s transformative $5.8 billion, 5,000-job BlueOval SK Battery Park in Hardin County; AESC’s $2 billion, 2,000-job gigafactory project in Warren County; Toyota’s $1.3 billion investment in Scott County; and Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing’s $712 million investment, creating 1,572 jobs in Shelby County, among others.
The Governor’s administration also secured the largest General Fund budget surplus and Rainy Day Fund. In 2023, Kentucky recorded over 2 million jobs filled for the first time ever and has stayed above that number ever since.
Kentucky also secured rating increases from major credit rating agencies Fitch Ratings, S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service.
Site Selection magazine ranked Kentucky in the top five nationally and second in the South Central region for economic development projects per capita in its 2024 Governor’s Cup rankings. Last April, Site Selection placed Kentucky second in the South Central region and in the top 10 nationally in its 2024 Prosperity Cup ranking, which recognizes state-level economic development agencies for their success in landing capital investment projects.
Gov. Beshear also announced a new initiative, called New Kentucky Home, to increase economic investment, attain and attract talent, and increase tourism across the state.
For more information on Zoetis, visit zoetis.com.
A detailed community profile for Jefferson County can be viewed here.
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