The group that has been gunning to transform the 101 Corridor into the Silicon Valley of the biotech world is undergoing a reinvention of its own —complete with a new name and a tweak of strategy. The BioTech Forum — founded in 2008— is no more. Enter the Bio Science Alliance, which will attempt to stare down a tough economy and cultivate a thriving life science community along the 101 Freeway through Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. The organization plans to place an increased focus on relationships with universities and local governments and for the first time, operate as a nonprofit, said Brent Reinke, cofounder of the BioTech Forum and chairman of the Bio Science Alliance. “It’s doing what we think is necessary to support a life science cluster along the 101 Corridor,” Reinke said. The Alliance filed its application for nonprofit status in July and has plans for a new Web site, educational workshops and a November gala celebrating the local industry, the group said. PBS Biotech Inc., founded in 2007, is one company actively involved in the organization. The biotech equipment firm manufactures machines that allow cell cultures to grow so pharmaceutical companies can develop drugs and vaccines. James Schultz, the firm’s vice president of sales and marketing, said PBS’s role is dual — giving back, but also helping generate its own expansion. “We need organizations and infrastructure here that could support our growth,” said Schultz. “You can pick up the phone and call someone that is part of the group and say, ‘Do you know someone who has these abilities?’” Reinke said the sluggish economy hampered the Forum’s efforts and will be an ongoing challenge for the Alliance. The recession and economic malaise limited venture capital funds, making it difficult to get new businesses off the ground. But Reinke said he sees “encouraging signs” of growth, including at PBS Biotech Inc. In August, the Camarillo-based company announced it acquired Integrity CMi, a medical device design and manufacturing company also in Camarillo. On Sept. 7, PBS announced a former Amgen finance director Lourie Zak will be joining the company’s team as chief financial officer. By creating a cluster for the entire life science industry, the Bio Science Alliance aims to support biotech, medical device, drug delivery and nutritional supplement companies. The 101 Corridor can be a good incubator for those businesses, because of the existing intellectual talent, especially emanating from industry giant Amgen, Reinke said. Turning the business booster into a nonprofit will open up more opportunities for grants and the ability for sponsors to receive tax deductions, Reinke said. “It made more sense to do this as a nonprofit,” he said. “This isn’t about some people putting an organization together, because they are trying to make money on the side.” Come November, scientists and executives in the field will begin teaching classes on navigating government regulations, turning a discovery into a commercial product and more, Reinke said. A major role of the Alliance is to simply serve as matchmaker, connecting entrepreneurs with individuals who have a working knowledge of what it takes to succeed, he said. “All of a sudden they are wearing 10 hats instead of one and trying to figure it out,” Reinke said. But the region is simply not yet a true cluster — which partially explains the name change. At the BioTech Forum, individuals from the broader life science community were attending events to network. “Given we don’t necessarily have critical mass yet, you have to make it fairly broad in order to attract the right type of people,” Reinke said.
Biotech Group Rebrands to Attract Life Science Firms
