Nephron Pharmaceuticals has become one of Lexington County’s largest and fastest growing companies.

Nephron CEO Lou Kennedy last week told Cayce-West Columbia Chamber of Commerce members that when her company moved here from Florida they pledged to hire 700.

“We have 1,200 full-time employees, 600-to-800 parttime employees and 100 in terns and apprentices,” Kennedy, a Lexington County native and USC graduate, told a full house at Stone River in West Columbia.

Chamber CEO Tim James thanked Kennedy for keeping the promises she made.

Kennedy said the average age of a Nephron employee is 35 and 53% are female.

She added that 35% are African-American and 43 countries are represented.

Nephron’s latest expan sion is Nephron Nitrile, a $100 million, 250-jobs plant that will produce medicalgrade nitrile gloves.

Kennedy said her employees are 100% vaccinated and Nephron set up testing and vaccination sites on 12th Street Extension at Dominion Energy.

Kennedy said she is hiring local teachers part-time.

“We can count on teachers,” said the CEO, whose mother was a teacher.