Land purchase puts B. Braun on sound footing for corporate move

While B. Braun recently scrapped plans to build a new headquarters near Route 309 and Interstate 78 in Upper Saucon Township, it now owns that land. (File photo)

One major Lehigh Valley corporation now owns all of the land where it could move its North American headquarters. As a rapidly growing company, B. Braun essentially is landlocked at its existing headquarters on 12th Avenue in Bethlehem.

While B. Braun Medical Inc. announced in November that its plan to move its corporate headquarters from Bethlehem to Upper Saucon Township has been put on hold because of the costly burdens of the federal medical-device tax, the company now controls the entire land where its new headquarters could be built near Route 309 and Interstate 78.

B. Braun officials did not return calls seeking comment.

The company did not file any plans with Upper Saucon Township for development of the land, according to Thomas Beil, township manager.

Lehigh County assessment records show that in September, the medical device manufacturer bought a corner lot at West Drive in Stabler Corporate Center next to Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba for $845,000. B. Braun bought the property, which is slightly more than 2.5 acres, from Corner Lot Equities.

In October 2013, B. Braun bought three parcels of about 22 acres, totaling about $6.5 million, according to assessment records.

Frank Smith and John Crampsie, principals of NAI Summit of South Whitehall Township, represented the owner, Corner Lot Equities, in the sale of the 2.5-acre lot. Phil Schenkel, vice president of Jones Lang LaSalle in King of Prussia, represented B. Braun in the transaction.

B. Braun has 1,900 employees at its three Lehigh Valley locations, which include the 12th Avenue site, the manufacturing division on Marcon Boulevard in Hanover Township, Lehigh County, and in Breinigsville. It also has a subsidiary, Aesculap, which is on Corporate Parkway in Stabler Corporate Center, the potential site of the new headquarters.

In a prior interview, B. Braun chairman and CEO Caroll Neubauer said the company decided to put on hold the corporate headquarters move, which could be a $30 million project. The company did an analysis of where its employees live and found it could attract people from New Jersey, the Poconos and Philadelphia from that location.

The new headquarters would include an education facility for employees, physicians, nurses and other health care providers and administrators.

Source: LVB.com