Aurora Sentinel: 'FRA celebrates grand opening of new wing'

Quoting from the August 22nd Aurora Sentinel:

"The FRA on Wednesday unveiled the new wing at their headquarters, a state-of-the-art addition that dramatically expanded the building at 12635 E. Montview Boulevard by about 50 percent. Steve VanNurdern, the FRA’s executive director, the new space is already about 80 percent full.

The FRA’s grand opening was scheduled for July 25, but they pushed it back to Aug. 22 because of the Aurora theater shootings. The first new tenant, Greffex Inc., moved into its new space this month. Next month, the other three new tenants — Mitomics, Touch of Life Technologies and LightLabs — are scheduled to move in.

The new wing will add about 40,000 square feet to the 60,000-square-foot home to the FRA and hub of the burgeoning Life Science District. The project is an important step for the district, officials say, because it will provide space for more advanced companies that are ready to take the next step beyond the facilities the building currently offers."

Link to the Aurora Sentinel

Colorado: Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority Opens New Accelerator in its Life Science District

Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority (FRA) officially opens its new $8 million, 37,000 square-foot Accelerator Building today, adjacent to its original Incubator Building at the Bioscience Park Center (BCP) in the Fitzsimons Life Science District.

The announcement is made by Steve VanNurden, FRA President and CEO, who says, "The addition of this Accelerator will offer companies growing in the Incubator an opportunity to expand and continue their expansion nearby."

The FRA's original Incubator Building opened in 2000 and now houses 35 companies in different stages of development. The expansion will enable companies to move into larger, long-term space. The new space includes:

* Built-to-suit spaces with access to incubator services and amenities

* World class resources at your finger tips - university research facilities and major medical centers

* Collaborative environment with complimentary business and networking opportunities

"The Bioscience Park Center is designed to foster a collaborative environment—by having established companies in close proximity to incubator startups—further promoting an essential atmosphere that makes the Fitzsimons Life Science District an important hub in the overall growth of Colorado’s bioscience industry," VanNurden explains. "Companies relocating to the Accelerator include: Mitomics, Touch of Life Technologies, LightLabs and Greffex."

Concurrent with the Accelerator's completion, Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) has been retained by the FRA to market its new facility adjacent to the Business Incubator. Speaking on behalf of the national firm, JLL Broker Lindsay Gilbert says, "Colorado's Bioscience Industry is poised for growth, particularly at the research and patient-centric life sciences district at Fitzsimons. Our firm is thrilled to be partnering with Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority at this time of explosive growth for the district."

Link to the PR Web Newswire

Link to the PitchEngine Social Media Release

Denver Post: 'Tails of the Painted Cats: A purr-fect way to raise money for the Cat Care Society'

Saturday, July 28 was the second Tails of the Painted Cats gala fundraiser, and it was a great success! Thank you to everyone who attended, who bid, and who helped bring the event to fruition!

Read Denver Post Society Editor Joanne Davidson's article here (it was also in the Sunday, August 5th printed edition of the paper): http://blogs.denverpost.com/style/2012/08/05/cat-care-societys-purrfect/

Plus check out the Denver Post photos online: http://photos.denverpost.com/2012/08/05/tails-of-the-painted-cats-a-purr-fect-event-for-the-cat-care-society/

And visit the Tails of the Painted Cats Facebook Page to see pictures from the event: http://www.facebook.com/TailsofthePaintedCats

See who the lucky winners were for each cat here: http://www.catcaresociety.org/paintedcats_results_2012.html

And, last but not least there are videos to check out: http://denvercatcare.blogspot.com/2012/08/video-highlights-tails-of-painted-cats.html

Penny Parker's Mile High Life: 'These cats may tickle your fancy'

Quoting from Penny Parker's new column, Mile High Life, in Denver's suburban newspaper consortium, Our Colorado News:

"Cat lovers can grab a kitty by the tail during Tails of the Painted Cats 2012, an auction and purr-fect dinner and gala July 28 at Lakewood Country Club to benefit the Cat Care Society...

...The event emcee is Ed Greene, CBS4 weather whiz. Auctioneers are Warren and Terri Smith of Two for the Show Auctions. Individual tickets for the gala are $75. New this year is a $100 patron ticket to a private VIP meet-and-greet prior to the dinner, where Greene will sign the 2013 "weather cat" painted cat.

The silent auction at the gala will include a Tower of Wine with 36 bottles (including pricey French labels and Marilyn Merlots) that attendees can bid on in addition to the Painted Cats...

...Tickets for the July 28 gala dinner and auction are available at: https://events.r20.constantcontact.com"

Link to Penny's column and pictures of several of the Painted Cats

Link to the Photo Gallery

9News Denver: 'Colo. bioscience industry, patients to benefit from new law'

CBSA Pres/CEO Holli Riebel interviewed with 9News yesterday regarding the new federal law that cuts the FDA's approval timetable for new drugs. Quoting from the 9News posting:

"Supporters say the bill would benefit hundreds of Colorado startups that are developing novel medicines and therapies. They say the provision could also help severely ill patients who are willing to take experimental drugs that haven't undergone the full battery of tests for all possible side effects and complications...

...About 600 bioscience companies, research institutions and venture capital groups in Colorado employ about 20,000 people, and the industry continues to grow despite the sluggish economy, according to the Colorado Bioscience Association."

Link to the video report or view here:



http://www.9news.com/rss/story.aspx?storyid=277012

LifeScience: 'Aurora Bioscience district gets new boss with big experience'

Quoting from the July 3 Aurora Sentinel article by Brandon Johansson:

"Steve VanNurden is excited for the new expansion wing at the Bioscience Park Center, Thursday afternoon, June 28, at the Fitzsimons Life Science District. VanNurden took over as President and CEO in late May...

...That growth and the momentum he sees being built was what drew VanNurden from Mayo Clinic Ventures in Rochester, Minn. to the FRA.

VanNurden started at Mayo 22 years ago after a career with agriculture-industry giant Cargill.

A few years prior, Mayo had launched Mayo Clinic Ventures, which aimed to take the world-class research happening at Mayo, and turn it into bioscience and biotechnology companies.

Since then, he helped start about 50 individual companies.

That ability to take the ideas that sprout from medical research and turn them into profitable companies has local officials excited about VanNurden’s arrival at the FRA.

Mark Spiecker, CEO of Sharklet Technologies, one of the 39 companies at the FRA’s Bioscience Park Center, said VanNurden is the perfect fit for the organization.

Across the health-care industry, Mayo is seen as a model for technology development and funding, Spiecker said, and Mayo Clinic Ventures is well-known as a place where breakthrough technologies become startup companies.

'Having a guy that used to run that program is a great opportunity for us,' he said.

Holli Riebel, CEO of the Colorado Bioscience Association, said landing VanNurden was a sign that Colorado’s burgeoning bioscience industry is gaining credibility around the country. 'I think it’s a real coup for us to be able to attract Steve,' she said.

His background with starting bioscience companies will be ideal at the FRA, where officials have announced an enhanced focus on building relationships with the rest of the state’s bioscience industry, she said.

'That’s really what we’re trying to do,' she said."

Link to the full article

NCBR: 'Colorado medical device companies grow'

Quoting from the June 29th posting:

"The number of Colorado medical device companies grew by nearly 20 percent in Colorado in the last decade, according to a new bioscience report.

Furthermore, the state showed a 16.1 percent employment growth in the medical device sector from 2001 to 2010, the nonprofit Colorado BioScience Association said Friday. The association cited data from a recent report compiled by global research and development group Battelle and the Biotechnology Industry Organization."

Link to the Northern Colorado Business Report