Medical giant McKesson bringing almost 1,000 new jobs to Irving in office consolidation

Medical industry giant McKesson Corp. will bring 975 jobs to North Texas as part of a plan to consolidate offices in Irving.

San Francisco-based McKesson – which distributes pharmaceuticals and medical products – is buying the former NEC Corp. of America office complex on State Highway 114 in Las Colinas.

McKesson will move 900 workers already in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to the property. And the company will create 975 additional jobs as part of the office move.

“After a thoughtful and thorough selection process, we’re excited to consolidate our Dallas-area offices into a new, state-of-the-art facility in Irving, Texas,” David Evangelista, McKesson senior vice president, said in a statement. “Investing in this new, modern work space will enable our associates to more effectively serve McKesson customers in the evolving health care industry.”

McKesson said it plans to invest $157 million in the new offices.

The two office buildings contain more than a half-million square feet of office space. McKesson is also buying adjacent land where it can expand with an additional building.

A New York-based investment group is selling the five-story and nine-story office buildings. NEC moved its operations out of the buildings last year to another site in Irving.

The state of Texas will provide a $9.75 million Enterprise Fund grant to help pay for McKesson’s move to the Irving office campus.

“I am proud that McKesson has chosen to expand their operations in the Lone Star State and create hundreds of new jobs,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement. “I am confident McKesson’s leadership in the pharmaceutical and health care technology sectors will serve as an invaluable contribution to the Texas economy.”

The economic incentives provided to McKesson will be the largest Texas Enterprise Fund grant awarded so far by Abbott.

The city of Irving will also provide more than $2 million in incentives to McKesson.

“They will be on our largest employer list – in the top 10,” said Beth Bowman, CEO of the Irving Chamber of Commerce.

News of McKesson’s intention to buy the former NEC buildings began to circulate earlier this year. But the company wouldn’t confirm the move until Thursday.

The empty business campus near the north end of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is one of the largest available blocks of first-class office space in North Texas.

McKesson currently has a call center in Westlake in northeast Tarrant County and a distribution operation in North Fort Worth. The company also has a large office in Carrollton.

McKesson bills itself as the oldest and largest health care company in the U.S. It distributes medicine and medical supplies and provides medical technology services.

The company has more than 70,000 employees and major offices in California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Georgia, Michigan and Virginia.

McKesson already has 3,700 employees in Texas — in the D-FW area, suburban Houston and elsewhere.