GROWING BIOTECH IN THE CORN BELT
The state of Nebraska, known as the cornhusker state, is the third-largest producer of corn in the United States. But Nebraska grows biotechnology, too.
According to an April 2006 report by Battelle Memorial Institute of Ohio and the State Science & Technology Institute (SSTI) in Westerville, Ohio (a nonprofit group supporting technology-based economic development), Lincoln, Nebraska, sits on top of the US as having above-average employment in biotechnology. In their study, they divided the field into four sectors: agricultural feedstock and chemicals, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and research and chemicals A year later, biotech leaders in the state still see it as a fertile biotech environment. Jim McClurg, chairman of the Bio Nebraska Life Sciences Association and senior vice president for MDS Pharma Services in Lincoln, says that Nebraska's strong points for biotech include "a friendly government environment with both tax incentives for capital investment and a friendly regulatory environment." While not free of problems, McClurg adds that, "Relatively speaking, you can put your arms around the state, so you can make connections with colleagues who have similar business problems."
Nonetheless, leaders continue to seek ways to make Nebraska an even better place to run biotech businesses. Julie M. Karavas, president of Bio Nebraska, says, "We need to continue to find ways to create public-private partnerships in terms of matching investments as well as other resources. However, the upside of this is that anything is possible." She adds, "The fact that Bio Nebraska, in less than two years of existence, has nearly 60 organizational members truly shows an interest in growing the biosciences."
There is room to improve, though, as Connie Ryan, president of Streck, a clinical laboratory products company in Omaha, comments, "There are not many biotech companies in Nebraska, so we don't have a large trained work force to hire from." But she sees mostly bright sides, commenting "The benefits of being in Nebraska include the ability to hire graduates from two universities, the work ethic of people from Nebraska, a central location, and the quality of life Nebraska offers those who we bring into the state and those who all ready live here."
