Medical Alley/MNBIO Rebrands, Refocuses
Medical Alley/MNBIO, the medical sciences trade organization formed through the 2005 merger of Medical Alley and the Minnesota chapter of the Biotechnology Industry Organization, has changed its name to LifeScience Alley and expanded its focus to include the broad reach of the term life sciences.
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| LifeScience Alley’s Gerhardt: Refocused opportunity. |
“We are committed to acting, partnering, and strengthening the business climate for the life sciences in Minnesota and the surrounding region to compete on a global scale,” says Don Gerhardt, president and CEO of LifeScience Alley. “This presents our members with a powerful opportunity to access expertise and information from diverse resources.”
According to the group’s Web site, the term life sciences is significant. “These markets focus on improving and sustaining health and well-being,” reads the site. “Whether you are a medical device manufacturer, a pharmaceutical company, a healthcare provider, an ethanol or biomass producer, a seed or food company, or any type of support service organization, this definition fits across our broad and diverse membership.”
With a diverse membership comes a diverse legislative agenda—and a greater likelihood that the interests of certain LifeScience Alley members may come into conflict. “When there are conflicting loyalties, there’s an increased responsibility for the organization to take a neutral, more-educational view,” Gerhardt says.
According to the organization, its new name and focus drives an expansion of its programs and service offerings for its members. “We will certainly not be abandoning the medical technology sector but will be adding on the foundation we have built over the past 21 years,” the organization reports. “New educational and networking opportunities are being developed for bio-related organizations, start-ups, operations and manufacturers, and others.”
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| LifeScience Alley’s Cerra: A unifying step. |
Along with the name change, the organization unveiled its new mission statement: “ Enabling business success in the life sciences: A member-focused organization that enables business success in the life science markets through leadership, collaboration, innovation, advocacy, and education.” Along these same lines, the group’s new tagline is “Coming together to collaborate, innovate, and succeed.”
“It’s a unifying step in Medical Alley’s merger with MNBIO to create a single lead entity that responds in unison to the goals and objectives of our newly stated mission,” said Frank Cerra, LifeScience Alley board chair and senior vice president for the University of Minnesota’s Academic Health Center.
LifeScience Alley has more than 500 members across a variety of organizations. In addition to its rebranding, the group is looking to extend its reach beyond Minnesota’s state border to reach companies and organizations in Canada, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, and the Dakotas.
© 2006 Canon Communications LLC
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