DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) is unveiling winners of its Special Tenth Anniversary Recognition Awards and 2013 Industry Awards at its Annual Awards Dinner, held this evening at the Marriot City Center Hotel in Denver. The announcement is made by April Giles, CBSA President and CEO, who said, “The Colorado BioScience Association would not be here today without the strong foundation that was put in place ten years ago, and tonight we’re celebrating that groundwork while we highlight the achievements being accomplished now, which will help propel the industry and our association forward over the next ten years.”
The Awards Dinner brings together over 300 industry leaders each year to celebrate the Bioscience Industry’s accomplishments and to preview the CBSA’s vision for the year ahead. Giles says the following special Recognition Awards were conferred in honor of the Association’s Tenth Anniversary:
Founders Award – Colorado State University, Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority and the University of Colorado.
As initial founders of CBSA, Colorado State University, Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority and the University of Colorado understood the value of a state-wide organization providing networks, educational resources and advocacy to advance the growth of the bioscience cluster in Colorado. Their investment in the Association since 2003 provided the ability for CBSA to get off the ground and grow to a mature organization recognized as one of the top 5 nationally. CBSA thanks CSU, FRA and CU for their vision ten years ago, not only for the foundation of CBSA but also for creating initiatives that have fostered the development of commercial technologies in Colorado.
Pioneering Award – Dr. Larry Gold, CEO and Chairman of the board of SomaLogic and Dr. Chris Christoffersen, General Partner and Head of the Life Science Team for Morgenthaler Ventures and General Partner for Lightstone Ventures.
For the Ten-Year Anniversary Celebration, CBSA is honoring two individuals with the Pioneering Award who led the bioscience industry in Colorado from the ground up. These leaders have made significant contributions to the industry and the community as a whole. Dr. Larry Gold is the CEO and Chairman of the board of SomaLogic. Since 1970, Dr. Gold has been a leader for Colorado’s bioscience industry through his role as a professor at the University of Colorado Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Department. Dr. Gold has founded some of Colorado’s most successful companies including NeXstar, Synergen and now SomaLogic while also serving as an advisor and board member to several other companies. Additionally, Dr. Gold continues to bring attention to Colorado’s bioscience industry, in 2010 Dr. Gold began the GoldLab Symposium where he convenes leading scientists, health providers, insurers and even politicians to report, debate, and predict scientific innovation and its impact on the future of healthcare.
The second Pioneering Award was presented to Dr. Chris Chrisoffersen, General Partner and Head of the Life Science Team for Morgenthaler Ventures and General Partner for Lightstone Ventures. Dr. Christoffersen served as the board chair for the Colorado BioScience Association for the first three years. His passion, leadership and relationships provided credibility and strength to the Association as it built its long term value. Dr. Christoffersen’s involvement and commitment did not stop after his board tenure. Through advising early stage companies, mentoring executive leaders,
and setting strategy for the Rocky Mountain Life Science Investor & Partnering Conference, he continues to be a strong force in Colorado.
Visionary Award – David Perez, President and CEO of Terumo BCT. CBSA presented the Visionary Award to honor an individual who is set to lead the bioscience industry into the next decade. David Perez, President and CEO of Terumo BCT, has grown his company in Colorado despite mergers and acquisitions since 1999. Mr. Perez is responsible for leading the strategic direction and growth of the company, based in Lakewood, which has now grown to over 2,000 employees. He is a dedicated and active industry leader with more than 30 years of experience.
The CBSA also announced the winners of its 2013 industry awards during the ceremonies, which include:
Educator of the Year – Professor Keith Neeves, Colorado School of Mines
Keith Neeves was part of the inaugural class of Boettcher Investigators and is the recipient of grants from the BDEGP program as well as grants from AHA, NIH, and DOE. His education program focuses on cardiovascular diagnostics and disease. As part of his education program he has developed several K-12 outreach activities, including one on controlled drug delivery that was piloted by over 500 middle and high school students in Jefferson County Public Schools. At CSM, Keith has been integral in developing the burgeoning bioengineering curriculum at the undergraduate and graduate levels. This includes developing courses that cover drug delivery, tissue engineering, drug manufacturing, and physiology. He was recognized by the Order of Omega as Teacher of the Year in 2011.
Volunteer of the Year – Dustin Whistler, Principal, Forte Commercial Real Estate & Chair of CBSA Membership Committee
Dustin Whistler is the Membership Committee Chair for the CBSA and has been an integral part in growing the Association’s membership base while also bringing new concepts and ideas forward to improve retention. Dustin’s leadership and energy have catapulted the committee to a new level. Dustin is the founder and principal at Forte Commercial Real Estate, his unique combination of business talent, leadership skills, community engagement and activism make him an asset to his clients and to the boards and committees he serves.
Institute Leadership Award – Benjamin Noe
Benjamin Noe, is currently a project manager intern at Covidien and a senior mechanical engineering student at the University of Colorado-Boulder. In addition to these roles, Ben serves as the Chapter President of the Colorado Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), on the National BMES Student Affairs Committee, and as a member of the CBSA’s Education Committee. Ben has become an integral part in growing the Colorado BioScience Institute and was the key driver behind the Institute Mentorship Program which connects bioscience industry professionals across Colorado with junior and senior level college students from the University of Colorado, Colorado State University, and the Colorado School of Mines.
Business Partner of the Year – Covidien
Covidien has been a significant partner in developing and launching the new Level Up Workforce Training Programs through the Colorado BioScience Institute, which aim to help Colorado’s life science employees by building a highly skilled, globally competitive workforce. Covidien has hosted the trainings at their facility as well as encouraged their employees to take advantage of the training opportunities. In addition to the support of the Level Up programs, members of the Covidien team have also been highly involved with the Women In Bioscience series by providing committee support and hosting at the events their Boulder facility.
Rising Star of the Year – Surefire Medical
Since launching the Surefire Infusion System in August 2011 and receiving FDA clearance for their specialty catheters in 2012, Surefire Medical continues to achieve significant milestones in both new product launches and regulatory approvals. In 2013 alone, Surefire Medical received regulatory approval in Europe and New Zealand; expanded to two global markets; continued the company’s clinical progress by showing the infusion system is safe and effective for inoperable liver cancer, and partnering with John Hopkins on the development of a microcatheter-based, minimally invasive treatment for obesity; as well as launched a new infusion system for small vessel interventional procedures.
2013 'Rising Star of the Year' Finalists included: AmideBio, (Boulder, http://www.amidebio.com), BaroFold (Aurora, http://www.barofold.com) and VetDC (Fort Collins, http://vet-dc.com).
Company of the Year – Clovis Oncology
Founded in 2009, Clovis Oncology continues to advance the fight against cancer by developing targeted therapies in combination with companion diagnostics to better serve patients and ensure the right drug gets to the right patient. The momentum of Clovis Oncology has been palpable since the start –with their Initial Public Offering of $130 million in 2011; then $170M in 2013, and announcing positive initial findings from an ongoing study of its ovarian cancer fighting drug, rucaparib - as well as extremely impressive data for their lung cancer drug, Clovis has elevated Colorado’s profile and is rated as one of the top companies to watch nationally.
2013 'Company of the Year' Finalists included: Allosource (Centennial, http://www.allosource.org) and Medtronic Navigation (Louisville, http://www.medtronic.com).
The dinner began with Timothy Schultz, President and Executive Director of the Boettcher Foundation, presenting the 2013 Class of Boettcher Investigators of the Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Program, leading into a reflection over the past ten years of the association. The history of the CBSA was highlighted by video vignettes and individual presentations from Dr. Christoffersen, Dr. Gold and Mr. Perez. Steffan Tubbs, Morning Co-Host on 850 KOA News, served as the master of ceremonies for the event.
About Colorado BioScience Association
The CBSA is a not-for-profit organization providing services and support for Colorado's bioscience industry. With more than 350 members, CBSA actively works to promote the growth of the industry by advocating for a better business environment, growing the state's biotech workforce, fighting for policies that support a strong bioscience industry in the state, and speaking with a single voice on behalf of the industry. For more information, visit http://www.cobioscience.com.
CBSA also is found on these social media sites:
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/COBioscience
LinkedIn Group: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=98468&trk=anet_ug_grppro
Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/ColoradoBioScienceAssociation
News Feed: http://coloradobio.blogspot.com
YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/COBioscience
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/COBioscience
Tumblr: http://cobioscience.tumblr.com
