Harrisburg –Co-Chairs Senator Bob Mensch (R-Berks, Bucks, Montgomery) and Senator Lisa Boscola (D- Lehigh, Northampton) held a bi-partisan Economy, Business, and Jobs (EBJ) Caucus meeting to hear testimony from members of Pennsylvania BIO and Life Sciences Greenhouse of Central PA.
The EBJ Caucus seeks to examine ways to break down barriers that hinder economic expansion within the Commonwealth. Senator Mensch and Senator Boscola believe that only with a better understanding of what shapes Pennsylvania’s economic climate, encourages investment and which factors enable continued workforce development, can Pennsylvania unlock its true economic potential.
During the meeting, speakers from PA Bio and Life Sciences presented members with a legislative update on behalf of the life sciences community in the Commonwealth. In addition they reported on employment, economic development and job creation in their field, as well as the industry’s current strengths and challenges.
The speakers included:
– Mr. Christopher Molineaux, President and CEO, Pennsylvania Biotechnology Association (PA BIO)
– Dr. Mel Billingsley, Ph.D., President & CEO, Life Sciences Greenhouse of Central Pennsylvania
– Mr. John W. Manzetti, President & CEO, Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse
– Dr. Shahram Hejazi, Ph.D., Venture Partners, BioAdvance
– Ms. Stephanie Reisinger, Vice President, Technology Solutions, Evidera
– Dr. Hank Safferstein, CEO, Cognition Therapeutics, Inc.
– Dr. Bernardo Cordovez, Ph.D., Co-founder & CEO, Optofluidics
Since 2002, the Life Sciences Greenhouses (LSGs) have worked through their portfolio companies to envision and develop a broad variety of life-saving drugs and devices, tools and technologies. The three LSGs in Pennsylvania play a crucial role in: funding early-stage companies, creating thousands of jobs, and attracting billions of dollars of capital into the Commonwealth.
PA Bio, founded 25 years ago, seeks to ensure Pennsylvania is the United States hub for the life sciences by creating a business and public policy environment which fosters life sciences growth and success. PA Bio has grown to represent the entire life sciences industry – medical device companies, pharmaceutical companies, investment organizations, academic institutions, and myriad service industries that support the life sciences in Pennsylvania.
Contact Information:
Senator Mensch: Tera Barone, (717) 787-3110, tbarone@pasen.gov
Senator Boscola: Julie Carraghan (717) 787-4236, JCARRAGHAN@pasenate.com