When AML Riverside LLC came to Fort Dodge in 2015, it took advantage of a unique existing asset and quickly went to work making veterinary medicines.

The unique asset that the company breathed new life into is a sprawling building along Riverside Drive that has a long history with the veterinary pharmaceuticals business. That history is summed up by big metal letters on the north wall of the building which spell out Fort Dodge Laboratories. That company is gone, but its successors left a facility perfectly suited for its current occupant. When the building came on the market, its purchase by AML Riverside represented the best possible use of it.

When it first arrived in town, the company had to create 30 jobs by the end of 2019 to meet the requirements of some government incentives it received. Thanks to stronger than expected customer demand, AML Riverside quickly exceeded that figure.

In 2020, just five years after acquiring the building, AML Riverside invested about $6 million into it to expand its research and development capabilities. It added about 12 more employees as a result of that effort.

But the company isn’t done growing yet. It just announced an $11 million investment that will create 16 new jobs. It will be adding to the building to create some new facilities, which are expected to be in use by mid 2024.

The presence of AML Riverside along with Elanco has given Fort Dodge a prominent place in the world’s animal pharmaceutical market. Both companies have connections across the globe. And AML Riverside, which is owned by New Zealand based Argenta, chose to come to Fort Dodge to open its first North American production facility.

AML Riverside is an existing company that is about to add more good paying professional jobs. That’s the kind of growth we want to see in Fort Dodge.