As the fastest-growing metropolitan center in BC, the City of Surrey is an inviting prospect for innovators and investors alike. Offering a wealth of talent, a central and well-connected location, and a network of businesses and institutions driving growth, Surrey has quickly established itself as an economic hub.
This is particularly true when it comes to businesses with complex distribution and logistics requirements, like large retailers or suppliers. Surrey’s Campbell Heights district, a 1,900-acre modern industrial business park, is home to companies like Starline Windows, Sobey’s, Loblaws, and Walmart, as well as other major players like Garaventa Lift, BC Greenhouse Builders, and NRI 3PL. Current plans for an expansion in the South Campbell Heights region will add 552 acres of industrial area, potentially representing over 8.5 million square feet of building floor area that could employ as many as 20,000 people and up to 150 businesses.
In this article, we explore one of the businesses based in Campbell Heights, international pharmaceutical giant, McKesson. Responsible for distributing roughly one-third of all the medications in British Columbia from their Surrey facility, we’ll hear how being here has contributed to their success. We also examine how the changing patient care landscape represents a wealth of possibilities for businesses in the healthcare space.
McKesson: Providing Healthcare Solutions Across the Country
As a diversified healthcare leader, McKesson is committed to advancing health outcomes across virtually every aspect of health. They own Canada’s largest integrated network of pharmacies, including Guardian, I.D.A., Remedy’sRx and The Medicine Shoppe, and provide other pharmaceutical solutions to patients, partners, and retailers alike.
In 2023, they opened a state-of-the-art 233,000-square-foot facility in Surrey to better support BC’s rising healthcare needs. The new distribution centre delivers medications, vaccines, specialty pharmaceuticals, and over-the-counter products to over 1,300 hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies across the province, while an on-site specialty pharmacy manages complex medication requests. The facility also incorporates cutting-edge automation to accelerate fulfillment timelines and increase efficiency.
The distribution centre was previously located in Vancouver, but when it became clear that they had outgrown their current space, they began looking for a place that could better meet their needs.
Jean-Philippe Blouin, McKesson’s Senior Vice President of Pharmaceutical Operations commented, “Surrey came on top of the list for several reasons. From a logistics standpoint, it was the right location. The road networks make it easy to transport. We service all of BC from Surrey, so not only Vancouver, but the valley, interior BC, the island, and northern BC. So strategically it was the right thing to do. Availability of the workforce and commuting was also a factor for us. Surrey was in the right location where we could keep the vast majority of our existing employees. There was also a good pool of resources available to hire.”
Blouin also spoke to the appeal of Campbell Heights as an industrial area; the fact they could have the new distribution center “tailor-made” there made it a “very appealing sector.”
When it came to the development and permitting process, Blouin noted that “it was very easy to work with the City. We had some changes to the facility and had to ask for help, and the city was super responsive. They did their due diligence, but in a very dynamic way.”
“It was very easy to work with the City. We had some changes to the facility and had to ask for help, and the city was super responsive. They did their due diligence, but in a very dynamic way.”
For distribution or manufacturing companies like Mckesson, Surrey’s prime location as a logistics hub Canada’s Pacific West Coast offers easy access to three international deep-sea ports, three international airports, eastwardly connected rail networks, and two US border crossings connected to major trucking routes.
Surrey also has the highest availability of new industrial land and industrial properties for lease in the region, with well-developed road networks to support it. And with its Transportation Strategic Plan, the City of Surrey continues to plan and commit to further investments.
Workforce availability is another crucial factor. Surrey is a hub for skilled talent, who are drawn by career opportunities as well as the affordability of the city. BC’s favorable immigration policies offer an express pathway for skilled workers to gain permanent residency, while top universities and trade schools provide a talent pipeline.
With growth comes opportunity, and Surrey is no exception. Healthtech and healthcare innovators have the physical space, the infrastructural support, and the collaborative possibilities to make a huge impact in the city and beyond.
If you’re looking to start or expand your healthcare business in Surrey, our team is here to help.