Presentations featuring Hess, Secretary Canfield, and Barker

This fall, BIO Alabama will host its virtual annual conference October 5-9. Three conference sessions will focus on economic development and examine the core strengths of Alabama’s bioscience industry as well as explore opportunities to catalyze continuous, inclusive growth. These sessions will include the following:

Corporate location strategy, site selection, and bioscience economic development trends presented by Made in Alabama and featuring Bob Hess. As Vice Chairman of Global Corporate Services at Newmark Knight Frank, Hess is a preeminent, sought-after service provider and respected leader in corporate location strategy and site selection. He has demonstrable and referenceable life sciences and biotechnology industry experience, inclusive of R&D, Manufacturing and Fill Finish asset types. He has conducted over 275 assignments in North America and globally, including Asia, Europe, and Mexico. Hess is scheduled to speak Wednesday, October 7 at 10:00 a.m. CST with a focus on bioscience economic development.

State perspective on bioscience growth opportunities and trends fireside chat featuring Secretary Greg Canfield & Greg Barker. Two of Alabama’s economic development leader the vision for our State’s economic growth including sustainable growth and dynamic job creation for the bioscience industry. At the helm of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, Greg Barker brings years of experience and expertise to one of our State’s leading economic development organizations. Together, Canfield and Barker will address the importance of the bioscience industry and how private and public initiatives will help us further expand our global impact. This conference session will be held Wednesday, October 7 at 11:45 a.m. CST.s will deliver an informative discussion on Alabama’s growth opportunities and trends in bioscience. Greg Canfield has served as the Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce since July 2011. He continues to shape 

BIO Alabama Strategic Economic Development Roadmap and recommendations for industry growth and sustainability featuring Blair King, BIO Alabama Board Chair, Panel Moderator, Economic Development Manager at Alabama Power Company; James Childs, BIO Alabama Startup & Tech Transfer Committee Co-Chair, Partner at Maynard Cooper Gale; Jonathan Cox, BIO Alabama Workforce Development Committee Chair, Senior Account Manager at Aerotek Scientific; Saksham Narang, BIO Alabama Startup & Tech Transfer Committee Co-Chair, Venture Advisor at UAB; Amy Sturdivant, BIO Alabama Business Attraction & Retention Committee Chair, Director of Business Recruitment at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. This panel discussion will take place Wednesday, October 7 at 9:00 a.m. CST. 

Bioscience research and enterprise fuel Alabama’s economic engine. A few key facts highlight this community’s importance and impact on the state: 1) diversity of establishments and workforce as demonstrated by an evenly distributed workforce between the five industry subsectors; 2) National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding per capita with Alabama ranking third among our peer states in the Southeast; and 3) supportive and business friendly environment with access to economic development incentives designed to fuel growth, access to collaborative university and research partners, and access to incubators and accelerator programs.

Additional speakers, organizations, as well as sponsors, can be found on the official conference website. Up-to-date information on the agenda and thought leaders presenting can be found on the conference website. Event registration is open.