RIVERSIDE - When workers of Merck Cherokee parked their cars in the employees parking lot Saturday, their minds were not on their jobs, but on a fun day out with their families.
With bounce houses, games, a photo booth, bathtub and toilet bowl scooters, an employee raffle, and more, the annual Merck Family Fun Day was a big hit.
Normally, the family festivities take place at a local amusement park, but in celebration of the plant's anniversary, manager Brian Killen and his staff did something a little different.
"We held it here at Cherokee Park to give our employees the chance to bring their families in and give tours to show them where they work every day and what exactly we do here," Killen said.
For Killen, a native of Ireland who has been the manager at Cherokee for two years, he used the day to speak with retirees.
"I'm learning so many great stories of the past," Killen told the crowd. "This day is great because it's for all of you who have sacrificed for us and your efforts for Merck all these years."
The event celebrated the 65th anniversary of Merck and Co. establishment in Riverside and the 30th anniversary of the creation of the principal drug made there, the antibiotic Primaxin.
From harm to help
Merck and Co's Cherokee Pharmaceuticals Riverside site was first operational in the 1940s. Ironically, the plant was built to create something that harmed people instead of help them.
The site was first chosen by Heyden Chemical Company for the production of hexamine, an intermediate in the manufacture of an explosive for World War II.
Originally, the plant was targeted for Tennessee and named "Cherokee" for the Indian reservations of the Great Smoky Mountains, but the U.S. government intervened and selected the site in Riverside because of its proximity to a plentiful fuel supply - Pennsylvania's anthracite coal fields.
After the war ended, the Riverside plant was put on standby until, after two years of negotiations, Merck and Co., leased the plant Aug. 1, 1950, from the U.S. Government, but retained the Cherokee name.
Merck purchased the plant outright in 1965, and since then, the plant has been at the forefront of medical manufacturing.
Lifesaving work
With the exception of the years 2008 to 2010, the Cherokee plant has been under Merck control. Inside, 280 employees and 50 contractors make the active ingredients of two well-known antibiotics - Invanz and Primaxin.
The Riverside plant is the only location in the world where the ingredient is made.
"The ingredient is then shipped off to other factories, which formulates it into the IV solution or pill form. We say that if you are familiar with our drugs, you are very sick," Killen said.
Andrew Stefanowicz, a process engineer at Merck, knows very well how well the medicine works.
"My mother was septic and the medicine they gave her was Primaxin, and it did wonders for her," Stefanowicz said.
The amazing thing about Merck Cherokee's success is the patent for the two drugs expired 15 years ago, but the Riverside plant remains at the forefront of its production.
"We sell about $900 million of product a year. We take great pride in the fact that we have this skilled work staff that can create this complex product that no one else in the world can do," Killen said.
The plant and its employees take pride in the good that is done there.
"We work very hard to reduce our environmental footprint for our process," the manager said. "We recently completed a $7 million upgrade in our infrastructure that reduces environmental concerns by 60 percent."
The Environmental Protection Agency and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection visit monthly to test the plant's infrastructure.
"We haven't had any problems. We like being invisible in that aspect because then we are being good neighbors to the safety of everyone around us, but also good neighbors with the employment we provide to the area, and helping organizations through our community grants program," Killen said.
When asked what the future holds for Merck Cherokee, Killen said there is another antibiotic medicine in the works.
"We are currently in the clinical trials for that medication, but our main focus is - how do we stay at the forefront of antibiotic medication?" Killen said.
With the staff currently in place, the plant manager doesn't think it will be a problem.
"We have fathers and sons working together here and generations of families working throughout out history here in Riverside," Killen said. "We have tremendous people with exceptional skills making life better for people around the world every day. That's what it's all about."
