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Charlotte recruiters target biotechnology
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Published: May 7, 2009
It is an industry that promises plenty of growth but also is the source of fierce competition for jobs.
In a region known for banking, manufacturing and motorsports, biotechnology has become a primary target for Charlotte-area business recruiters. Their goal: to build on North Carolina's solid reputation in the industry and complement efforts in other cities, including the well-known Research Triangle.
Advocates say they know Charlotte won't be as big a hub as Raleigh-Durham. But they hope to portray the companies already in the region and the new North Carolina Research Campus as the foundation for an emerging "life sciences" cluster that includes a variety of employers, from biotech firms to hospitals to medical equipment makers.
Without question, biotechnology itself has been a minor presence to date, employing about 3,000 people last summer, according to an analysis of federal labor statistics. That's up more than 19 percent from 2000 but pales in comparison to the Raleigh-Durham area, which had nearly 27,000 such jobs -- more than double its 2000 total.
In the Charlotte area, biotech workers last summer accounted for less than 0.4 percent of all jobs. Even using the Charlotte Regional Partnership's broader definition of life sciences, the total was just over 10,000, or about 1.2 percent of all jobs. By comparison, the city's signature industry, banking, makes up more than 5 percent.
The regional partnership has boosted efforts to attract life sciences companies after Dole Food Co. owner David Murdock pledged $1.5 million to develop a research campus on the former Pillowtex site in Kannapolis.
Before then, "we did not have a very good hook to begin a conversation," said the partnership's Kenny McDonald.
Recruiters have expanded their targets. Besides traditional biotech ventures, such as pharmaceuticals, they're after firms from medical records providers to plastics manufacturers.
"If you're a purist about biotechnology, it becomes very narrow," McDonald said. " ... It's not all white lab coats. It's just more pervasive than one would imagine."
The Charlotte region is home to Chelsea Therapeutics, which develops products for treating a range of diseases. But it also has 3D Systems, a Rock Hill company that can create prototypes of medical products, and Microban, a Huntersville firm that makes anti-bacterial chemical compounds for use in molecular plastics and synthetic fibers.
Then there's TransWorld Med Corp., which has developed a medical device intended to eliminate the need for biopsies after heart transplants. Union County native Charles Richardson, 37, started the company in 2004 and hopes to begin human testing of the device this year.
Although TransWorld Med is based in Ballantyne and has about 15 employees locally, manufacturing and research are done in other states and countries, Richardson said. He'd like to consolidate that work in Charlotte, but he said the region has a long way to go in creating a solid base of life sciences companies.
"You've got world-class banking, but there's a falloff with health care," he said. " ... It's a great, growing city. I don't see why it can't grow here."
One big challenge is competition, even during a recession.
Beyond established biotech hubs such as Boston, Austin, Texas, and San Diego, dozens of U.S. cities have pushed to create or build science-related industries. Some, such as Charlotte, don't have major research universities or medical centers and must piece together a cluster from scratch.
Well-known regions such as the Research Triangle would seem to have an advantage, but McDonald said having a dominant player in the same state can be an asset for Charlotte.
The Triangle shows that North Carolina understands the value of biotechnology, and the research campus in Kannapolis already has won wide attention, said Patrick Kelly. He's the vice president for state government relations at the Biotechnology Industry Organization, an advocacy and business development group. Charlotte also has several colleges and universities and an international airport, he said -- "all the things that are the hallmark of a successful biotech industry hub."
But Kelly preached patience, noting that the Research Triangle to took a few decades to grow to its current size. "It's definitely a long-term proposition that doesn't pay dividends overnight," he said.
One potential advantage for Charlotte could be timing, with the recession causing some contraction in biotechnology. An Ernst & Young analysis released Tuesday forecast a "Darwinian moment" that could weed out weaker companies through consolidation and closure.
At the same time, cities and states that so far haven't captured many biotech jobs may pull back on their courtship of companies, exercising "more rational thinking," said Rob DeRocker, senior counselor at Development Counsellors International, a New York firm that promotes the business climates of cities, states and countries.
"The industry may be taking a forced breather," he said. "That may narrow the possibilities for the B-team."
After launching TransWorld Med in 2004, as well as a previous venture in 1999, with private investment, Richardson said he now wants to see Charlotte more actively nurture life sciences companies.
He has considered moving TransWorld Med to Ohio or South Carolina to be closer to the research hospitals he works with. But he also has explored moving the light manufacturing of his company's devices, which cost $50,000 each, from Europe to Union County.
Ultimately, he said, Charlotte must decide how important life sciences jobs are compared with other, larger industries in the region.
"I've been watching this for 10 years," he said. "I'd love to see it happen."
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