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The recent downturn in the Southwest Florida economy stands as proof that diversification beyond the traditional real-estate foundation is critical to our area’s future. The addition of high-wage, year-round, future-oriented jobs will serve not only to lessen the impact of seasonality and economic trends, but also to reduce our reliance on residential ad valorem taxes to support governmental services.

While traditional health-care services have long been a major component of local employment, the broader bioscience cluster, which includes future-oriented industry, research, education and provider services, is projected to be a major growth area in upcoming decades.

To assure that this area is positioned to attract this emerging business market, BioFlorida, in partnership with the Economic Development Council of Collier County and other economic development organizations in the region, has launched a Southwest Florida chapter, its sixth in the state.

More than 10 years ago, BioFlorida was just a small organization with a big idea: to create a vehicle for the voices of Florida’s bioscience industry. At the time, the bioscience sector, particularly in Florida, was merely a fledgling industry. We’ve come a long way since then, with the state putting some significant investment in businesses in the bioscience sector. Companies such as Scripps Research Institute, Burnham Institute, Max Planck, SRI International, M2Gen, and Torrey Pines Institute have seen multimillion-dollar investments at the local and state level and given notice that Florida is a highly competitive contender in attracting bioscience companies.

The mission of BioFlorida is to be the voice of the industry by focusing on creating and maintaining a favorable business and legislative environment as well as advancing the commercialization of research. The Southwest Florida chapter, which includes Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, Lee and Sarasota counties, will serve as the central communications conduit for networking, recruiting, training and information, as well as a link to statewide efforts.

There are 25 well-established bioscience companies in the region, as well as the recently announced regional research park near the Southwest Florida International Airport. The potential for expanding this network and infrastructure is enormous.

The resources necessary to support growth within this industry segment are already in place in Southwest Florida. Foremost are the academic institutions, particularly Florida Gulf Coast University — with an established bioengineering program — and Edison College — with a well-regarded allied health training program. In fact, FGCU’s recent research program on combating global biological weapons, funded by a U.S. Department of Defense grant, has been awarded high praise not only for its results, but also for its role as a future indicator of sustainable economic diversity.

To grow this sector, we must continue to push forward an aggressive research agenda at FGCU and work with our other regional academic partners throughout the K-20 education system to ensure that a solid pipeline of workers is being supported. In addition, advanced research at FGCU, supported by the ability to turn that research into entrepreneurial assets, will promote our community’s economic-diversification goals through what is referred to as "economic gardening" or growing our own. We need to couple this concept with the ability of our area to compete globally and attract top research companies to establish here.

As the leader of economic diversity efforts in Collier County, the EDC has long been an avid proponent of creating a high-tech hub in this area. The biosciences sector offers the optimal combination of providing high-wage jobs while complementing the quality of place. In addition, it is clear that this region, with its significant education and venture capital resources, offers an ideal environment for this kind of company. Finally, the addition of affordable real-estate options in eastern Collier County, both in Ave Maria and in the Florida Tradeport, offers new opportunities for relocation and expansion.

As a community, it is in our best interest to support these efforts. Decreasing our reliance on businesses of the past by increasing our investment in businesses of the future will serve Collier County well. We urge you to join us in welcoming and supporting the efforts of the BioFlorida Southwest Florida chapter and its members, as well as the efforts to bring new bioscience companies to our area.

William Knab, who has a master’s degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, led successful ventures at Baxter International, Haemonetics, Medisystems and two successful startups, HemoCleanse and Renal Solutions. He founded Matrix Technology Management in 2004, a consulting organization focusing on business and product development in the medical-device industry.