BioLife Plasma building in Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS - BioLife Plasma Services will break ground Wednesday, Aug. 1, for a second plasma donation center in Cedar Rapids.

The  subsidiary of Chicago-based Baxter is planning a 17,500-square-foot facility at 1855 Edgewood Rd. SW. BioLife operates a similar donation center at 5950 Rockwell Dr. NE that opened in 2008.

The new BioLife center will be one of 65 facilities in the United States and Europe that collects donated plasma. It will employ 35 to 40 employees, with growth plans for additional employee count of 70 to 75 employees.

Environmentally friendly or “green” characteristics of the new BioLife Plasma center will include a reflective roof and parking surfaces that minimize the surrounding heat levels, reducing glare and exterior light pollution; and advanced systems and amenities to purify the air in the building.

BioLife Plasma Services opened its initial donation center at 5945 Council St. NE in 1994. Increased demand for plasma and a growing donor list prompted the company to build a larger facility on Rockwell Dr. NE.