"New Jersey is considered an important location for the global pharmaceutical industry," said said Lou Berardi, vice president of finance and administration. "The state gives us access to scientists, universities, professors and other potential business partners."

In addition, the state recently provided a hefty financial incentive: this year New Jersey awarded Hoechst Marion Roussel a $2.8 million grant through New Jersey's Business Employment Incentive Program (BEIP).

The incentive program itself was signed into law in May of 1996. Through it, companies that create jobs are eligible for grants equal to 10 to 80 percent of the income taxes paid by newly hired employees for up to 10 years.

Since the law was established, nearly 11,000 new jobs have been created due to BEIP. To qualify for the BEIP grant, a company must create a minimum of 25 jobs in urban areas or 75 jobs elsewhere in the state. The program is administered by the New Jersey Department of Commerce through the Economic Development Authority.

Additionally, PSE&G, the state's largest utility -- serving approximately 75 percent of the state -- has developed a new loan program based on New Jersey's BEIP. PSE&G provides loans to companies based on the size of the BEIP rebate the company expects to receive. By making money available almost immediately, PSE&G can provide economic assistance during construction or build-out of new facilities. Loans are repaid by assigning a portion of the BEIP rebate once the company begins to receive it.

Hoechst Marion Roussel's BEIP grant, which will be dispersed over the next 10 years, will help the company create 501 jobs in Bridgewater, with an average salary of $60,000. The company had also considered expanding in Ohio, Georgia, France and Germany. Hoechst Marion Roussel, the pharmaceutical company of the Germany-based Hoechst Group, produces some of the world's leading therapies for cardiovascular, allergic, metabolic and central nervous systems disorders.

ANADIGICS, a leading supplier of gallium arsenide (GaAs)-integrated circuits used in cable and satellite television, and fiber optic and wireless communications, is expanding its facilities in Warren Township in Somerset County. The company will renovate and occupy a vacant building next to its present location, reviving 131,000 square feet of office and manufacturing space and creating 250 high skilled, high tech jobs.

The company selected the site after qualifying for various local and state incentives.

"It takes a community to build a business," said Jennifer Palella, strategic marketing manager for ANADIGICS. In addition to a BEIP grant of about $750,000, ANADIGICS can rely on educational resources, such as the Somerset County Technical Institute, which provides training for current and potential employees. ANADIGICS also qualified this year for a GPU Energy Business Enhancement Incentives grant.

GPU Energy's Business Enhancement Incentives were developed to assist businesses interested in relocating or expanding their facilities in GPU Energy New Jersey service areas. Target industries for the grant, as identified in the New Jersey Economic Master Plan, include manufacturing, pharmaceutical, biotechnological, electronics, data processing and telecommunications.

Other technology companies worth noting that are expanding in New Jersey include Hewlett-Packard, a supplier of computing, Internet and Intranet solutions, communications products and measurement solutions. The company added 140 jobs in its UNIX system lab in Florham Park in Morris County. Hewlett-Packard received a BEIP grant of nearly 1.8 million over 10 years.

Lucent Technologies received a BEIP grant of almost $90,000. This manufacturer of telecommunications systems, software and microelectronics and consumer products will create 210 jobs over next two years by locating one of four U.S. Customer Care Centers in Parsippany. This is the third Lucent Technology Expansion in New Jersey since November of 1996.

Finally, in the Township of Wayne, Omnipoint Communications Services, a communications and wireless services company, was awarded a BEIP grant worth $389,424, which helped it choose New Jersey over Pennsylvania and Virginia, creating 130 new jobs in the state.

Norton Performance Plastic Corp. has begun construction on a new $1.5 million research and development building in Wayne. The new facility will accommodate the company's expansion of its international industrial plastics business. The two-story, 22,000 square foot building is expected to be complete by November.