San Diego life sciences company expands to Dunedin
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Nov 20, 2023

A San Diego-based life sciences company is expanding to the East Coast after acquiring an industrial property in Dunedin.

Amaratek, which is focused on U.S. Department of Defense and Homeland Security technologies, purchased the 33,846-square-foot property at 150 Douglas Ave. for $3.9 million. Amaratek expects to move into the location — which is a second for the company — in early 2024. The seller was Bridgeview Property Investments.

Heidi Tuttle-Beisner, broker-owner at Commercial Asset Partners Realty, represented the buyer and Brian Andrus of Stonebridge Real Estate/Andrus Development Group represented the seller. Bridgeview Property Investments has moved to a larger location in Pinellas Park.

David Dumas, president of Amaratek, expects the expansion to bring 20 jobs to the area, according to a release. The company will hire program managers with “defense contracting experience, machinists, welders, chemists, and engineers.”

The Dunedin property is more than three times the size of the company’s San Diego facility. Though the building was previously used as a manufacturing space, a build-out is underway to build chemistry labs, a chemistry manufacturing space and fencing to secure the property.

Dumas said it selected the Douglas Ave. property due to the warm welcome he received from the city, Pinellas County and Duke Energy, and family ties to the area. Amaratek also closely works with groups housed at MacDill Air Force Base.

“It’s very hard to do business in California,” Dumas said. “The manufacturing and real estate regulations are crippling. And those appear to largely go away with this move to Florida. Our hope is that expanding to Florida will allow us to set up manufacturing operations in a more business-friendly environment.”

Amaratek was founded in 2002 to “deliver research and development services to the U.S. Department of Defense and Homeland Security.” The company developed a biological system for the “neutralization of chemical weapons,” which was delivered to the U.S. Army in 2004. It also provides technical services to foreign governments, non-governmental organizations and social entrepreneurs.

Dr. Cynthia Johnson, director of economic development for Pinellas County, said the county’s “ideal business climate” meets the needs of “mission-critical companies.”

“This is a perfect example of companies from other states seeing the many benefits of living and operating a business in Florida,” Tuttle-Beisner said in a release. “Life sciences companies have particularly been interested in the greater Tampa Bay area, and we’re thrilled to have found a property here that works for Amaratek’s needs. The City of Dunedin and Pinellas County really rolled out the red carpet to help bring Amaratek here.”