Nick WalkerIt’s no surprise to anyone here that Irvine is not only a fantastic place to live, but a fantastic place to work. Recently ranked 2nd Happiest City in America by WalletHub and #1 in Truth in Accounting’s latest Fiscal Strength Survey, our city is also home to many major companies and corporations, including Fortune 500 companies, national brands and globally-recognized names across many sectors.
In celebration of the city, we’re asking some of the top businesses in Irvine to give us to answer to, “Why Irvine?” What is it specifically about this city that makes it such a beautiful place to run a company?
Check out our first company profile below. If you have a company you feel should be profiled, contact us at IrvineWeekly.com.
Edwards Lifesciences
The history of Edwards Lifesciences dates back to 1958 when its founder Miles “Lowell” Edwards set out to create the first artificial heart. Within a couple of years, Edwards and partner Dr. Albert Starr had developed the first Starr-Edwards mitral valve, an artificial heart valve, and soon after, Edwards Laboratories was born. Initially located in Santa Ana, the Edwards name saw many forms and transformations over the next several decades, being a part of other major companies throughout the years, including American Hospital Supply Corporation and Baxter International Inc. The company became an independent, publicly-held corporation in early 2000.
Nowadays, Edwards Lifesciences has over 13,000 employees worldwide, with a presence in over 100 countries across the globe. Never forgetting their home in Orange County, the company has maintained its global headquarters in Irvine for many years now. Its Irvine offices are not only home to the company’s administrative core, but also house key elements of the corporation’s manufacturing, research and development branches. To this day, over 60 years after its creation, the company remains dedicated to “Edwards’ original vision to help clinicians, patients, and their families work together as a united community fighting cardiovascular disease and critical illnesses.”
Edwards Lifesciences is one of the largest employers in Irvine, behind only the University of California, Irvine, and the Irvine Unified School District, employing about 3,000 Irvine residents, according to the Irvine Comprehensive Annual Financial Report in 2016.
Edwards’ chairman and CEO, Mike Mussallem, says, “Edwards Lifesciences has had a long-term presence in Irvine and appreciates the many benefits that the city and county has to offer for our employees and partners. The combination of a strong business infrastructure that is attractive for both small and large businesses, a strong talent engine supported by local colleges and universities and a diverse and engaged workforce, as well as the backdrop of a beautiful place to work and live, has made this an ideal home for our company as we celebrate more than 60 years of creating life-saving therapies for patients all around the world.”
(Courtesy of Edwards Lifesciences)
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