Contact: Matt Schutte, Director of Corporate Communications | 614-675-3686
Conference to address Ohio bioscience workforce and job growth

Omeris, Ohio’s bioscience membership and development organization, will host “BioOhio 2006: Building the Bioscience Workforce” on October 23 and 24 at the Hilton Columbus. The conference will bring together experts from industry, academia, and government to discuss the role that talent and workforce will play in the continued growth of Ohio’s bioscience industry.

According to Omeris President & CEO Tony Dennis, the focus on workforce reflects a strategic transition for Ohio’s bioscience industry. “In recent years, Omeris and other Ohio bioscience industry advocates have made great strides in increasing company formation rates and attracting unprecedented capital from venture capitalists and angel investor groups,” he said. “Given that success, the next step to sustain this momentum and establish Ohio as a bioscience destination is addressing workforce quality and supply.”

Cardinal Health Senior Vice President of Talent Management Margaret Early will deliver the keynote address during lunch on October 24. Mrs. Early is responsible for building and leading the $80 billion global health care company’s talent development and management strategy.

The BioOhio agenda also will feature speakers with insight into the availability of both bioscience jobs and qualified candidates in Ohio. A bioscience educators panel session includes leaders from Case Western Reserve University, The Ohio State University, Ohio University, Sinclair Community College, and the University of Cincinnati. An employers panel will bring together executives from Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Ben Venue Laboratories, Eurand, and STERIS.

“By design, we’re holding the educators and employers panel sessions early in the day,” said Matt Schutte, Omeris director of corporate communications. “We think the morning discussions will lead to 'supply and demand' collaboration ideas that hopefully can find traction during networking conversations at lunch and in the afternoon.”

The afternoon agenda on October 24 also includes Russ Read, executive director of the National Center for the Biotechnology Workforce, based in North Carolina. The recipient of a $5 million federal grant, this national effort was developed under the President's High Growth Job Training Initiative to address workforce and training challenges facing the biotech industry.

On October 23, in conjunction with BioOhio and in step with the workforce theme, Omeris will hold the Ohio Bioscience Career Fair, a first-time event designed to bring Ohio bioscience employers together with qualified candidates. From 2:00pm to 6:00pm, students, recent graduates and those currently in the workforce will have the opportunity to meet with at least 15 Ohio-based organizations with bioscience job openings ranging from research and development to quality control and marketing. Career Fair exhibitors include CAS, Alkermes, Meridian Bioscience, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and Ben Venue Laboratories, among others.

For more information on BioOhio 2006 and the Ohio Bioscience Career Fair, contact Omeris at 614/675-3686 or visit www.omeris.org.

Members of the media wishing to attend should contact Matt Schutte at Omeris, 614-675-3686; E-mail mschutte@omeris.org.

Omeris is a non-profit organization supported by the Thomas Edison Program of the Ohio Department of Development. Its mission is to accelerate bioscience discovery, innovation and commercialization of global value, driving economic growth, and improving quality of life in Ohio. Omeris is headquartered in Columbus, with regional business development affiliates in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Athens.