Chemours to construct new building, move jobs to University of Delaware's STAR campus

Chemours plans to move 330 research and technician jobs from Wilmington to Newark in 2020 after construction of a $150 million facility at the University of Delaware's STAR Campus is complete.

The Wilmington-based company has about 1,000 workers in Delaware. The move will not impact its total statewide employment, a company spokesperson said. 

The University of Delaware recently signed a deal with Chemours that allows the company to begin construction this year on its 312,000-square-foot "state-of-the-art innovation center" at the STAR campus, according to the company. 

It will sit next to a cluster of buildings that house technology firms and university-run labs on the sprawling 272-acre campus, once the site of Chrysler's Newark assembly facility.

Chemours spokeswoman Tara Mullins said the company did not receive financing from the state or the university for the project. In 2016, the state approved a $7.9-million taxpayer grant for the company, following rumors that it might leave Delaware.

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A "talent development pipeline" between Chemours and the University of Delaware will result from the new proximity of the institutions, officials said in a statement.

The facility "offers opportunities ... to leverage state-of-the-art analytical and unique research capabilities between Chemours and the university," Mullins said. 

Dennis Assanis, president of the university, called the forthcoming collaboration a "vibrant new research partnership."

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The University of Delaware's chemical engineering program is ranked sixth in the country by U.S. News. and World Report. 

Numerous Delaware elected officials cheered the news as an economic win for the state.

"Chemours’ continued investment at the STAR campus and in Wilmington is further proof that Delaware is a great place for companies to innovate, grow, and create good-paying jobs," Gov. John Carney said in a statement. 

Mullins in an email did not answer a question about whether there are ongoing capital investments in Wilmington. She instead pointed to the company's economic impact on Delaware's largest city, including its $70 million in annual payroll there.

Chemours, which was spun off from DuPont in 2015, produces chemicals that are used in retail products and industry.

Globally, the company has about 7,000 employees at 26 manufacturing sites.

After a rocky financial start in 2015, company earnings surged during the past year. Net profits during the first quarter of 2017 were $150 million, roughly the same amount as its announced investment in the STAR Campus facility. 

Much of Chemours' recent success can be attributed to two of its lead products —titanium dioxide, a pigment used paints and other housed objects, and Opteon, an environmentally-friendly coolant with automotive and retail applications.

Chemours CEO Mark Vergnano said in a October letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos that the University of Delaware is "one of the nation's premier universities," which enhances the state's talent pool. Along with officials from six other Delaware corporations, Vergnano sent the letter in support of a proposal to bring Amazon's second headquarters to the state.

Contact Karl Baker at kbaker@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2329. Follow him on Twitter @kbaker6.