Mylan may build bigger headquarters

Mylan Inc. has outgrown its headquarters in Southpointe, Washington County, and is looking at a four-acre site in adjacent Southpointe II as a possible new location.

The company has obtained an "access agreement" from the Washington County Authority, owner of Southpointe II, to do an environmental survey of the parcel, said William Sember, the authority's director of operations.

"The agreement allows Mylan to do soil borings and other environmental tests on the property, without any need of a sales agreement," Sember said.

This is a 90-day agreement for a site located near the old administration building of the former Western Center State School and Hospital, Sember said.

"Mylan's global operations have experienced dramatic growth in recent years," the company said in a statement. "As a result, we have more than doubled the number of personnel located at our corporate headquarters ... and we currently are in the process of working on plans with the intent to stay in the Southpointe area."

Mylan relocated its headquarters from Pittsburgh to Southpointe in 2003 when it occupied its current 96,000-square-foot building. About 2,000 work at its Morgantown, W.Va., manufacturing plant.

Mylan was founded in 1961 by Milan "Mike" Puskar and Don Panoz in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., as a pharmaceutical distribution company.

The company, which plans to release its second-quarter financial results next Wednesday, provides products to customers in more than 150 countries and territories. Mylan has annual revenue of more than $5.5 billion and a workforce of more than 17,000.