Denver Post: 'Four growing biotech firms move into Fitzsimons Accelerator Building'

Quoting from the August 23rd article by John Mossman:

"The Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority is celebrating the move of four startup companies from the Bioscience Park Center 'incubator' to its new wing known as the 'accelerator.'

The four biotech companies — Mitomics USA, Greffex Inc., Touch of Life Technologies and Light Labs — are among 39 firms that have been housed in Bioscience Park Center. They have run out of room and are graduating to the $8 million, three-story, 37,000-square-foot expansion, taking up most of that space. The new facility already is 78 percent leased.

'It's a nice problem to have when you haven't even opened your new building yet and you could potentially now be limited in space again,' said the authority's new president and chief executive, Steve VanNurden."

Link to denverpost.com

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

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

'The mother of inventions...Denise Brown stepping down from unique Colorado projects and an industry she helped create'

Quoting from the April 10th article on Denise Brown's career growing Colorado's Bioscience Industry by Brandon Johannson:

"When she retires next month, Brown will cap a career during which she has been as involved in Colorado and Aurora’s booming bioscience industry as just about anyone.

After working in the state legislature and the governor’s office, Brown spent 17 years at CU before launching the Colorado BioScience Association a decade ago."

Link to the Aurora Sentinel

Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority Names New President & CEO

Aurora, CO, March 14, 2012 - Following an extensive national search, Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority (FRA) has named Steve VanNurden as its new President and Chief Executive Officer, beginning in late May. The announcement is made by John M. Shaw, Chair of the FRA Board of Directors, who said: "Steve, a seasoned leader in the life science/bioscience space, comes to us from Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota."

The appointment of Mr. VanNurden is further evidence of the FRA's continued commitment to support the development of life science companies in Colorado in partnership with the State’s research institutions. He will be working with universities, local economic development agencies, state and local governments, and the bioscience industry to promote the successful development of the 180 acre Colorado Science + Technology Park, which is adjacent to the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora.

Steve Hogan, Mayor of the City of Aurora and FRA Board member stated, “Steve is the partner we need to fulfill the promise of the bioscience industry park. His working relationships span nationally and internationally, which will be a great advantage for us.”

Steve VanNurden is currently Chair of Mayo Clinic Ventures, the invention arm for Mayo Clinic. Under Mr. VanNurden’s direction, this division is responsible for patenting and commercializing Mayo’s discoveries, inventions and other intellectual property. Since 1986, Mayo Clinic Ventures has successfully commercialized over 2,000 technologies and has been granted more than 1,200 patents. Under the guidance of Mr. VanNurden, Mayo’s technology based ventures efforts have paid off, resulting in the formation of 45+ Mayo Clinic start-up companies.

Link to the PitchEngine Social Media Release

Link to the PR Newswire Release

Denver Post Breaking News: '$8 million facility to house growing biotech companies at Fitzsimons'

Quoting from this morning's posting by Mark Jaffe:

"The Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority today announced plans for an $8 million expansion of its Bioscience Park, which is designed to house start-up biotech businesses.

The authority said in a statement it will add a 37,000-square-foot 'accelerator' facility.

'The new accelerator space will be leased to companies in the modest growth stage,' said Denise Brown, the authority's interim executive director.

There are five companies from the biopark's incubator facility that are negotiating leases for the accelerator facility, said Vicki Jenings, an authority spokeswoman."

Link to the denverpost.com posting

Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority Announces Second Phase of Strategic Refocus With $8 Million Expansion to Bioscience Park Center

Aurora, CO - In furtherance of its renewed commitment to support the growth of early-stage Colorado bioscience companies, especially those developing technologies from Colorado's research institutions, Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority (FRA) is expanding its Bioscience Park Center building (BPC) with an $8 million, 37,000-square-foot accelerator facility, increasing the BPC in excess of 50 percent. The announcement is made by Denise Brown, FRA Interim Executive Director, who says, "The new accelerator space will be leased to companies in the modest growth stage. We have a number of companies in the BPC incubator ready to make this advancement in addition to interest from other companies, both in-state and out-of-state, as well."

The FRA Board of Directors has been working with FRA staff, FRA's real estate development partner Forest City Science + Technology Group, consultants and lenders for the past several months to finalize this expansion. Based on the team's recommendation, the three-story accelerator will be built to the west of the current building with a new parking lot located to the north of BPC. Ground broke in October and construction has been progressing since, with completion expected by June, as recently reported in the Aurora Sentinel, http://www.aurorasentinel.com/email_push/news/article_95c4538e-1792-11e1-a67e-001cc4c03286.html.

Link to the PR Web newswire

Link to the PitchEngine Social Media Release

DBJ: 'Fitzsimons authority names 4 board members as it seeks more mature biotechs '

Quoting from the posting by Greg Avery:

"The Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority appointed four well-known bioscience industry leaders to its board Tuesday — including Don Elliman, Colorado’s former head of economic development — as the authority seeks to attract more mature biotech companies to its Aurora campus...

'We really got the industry “A list' — or at least a lot of it,” said Denise Brown, interim director of the Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority (FRA)...

'What we’re not seeing is relocating to the site by more mature companies,' she said. “The board is doubling down and looking into what’s preventing it.”

Vacancies and favorable rent across the metro area — and commercial real estate conditions around the country — make it hard for the FRA to attract larger biotechs. They’d likely have to build their own building because developers can’t finance a speculative building in the current economy, Brown said.

Venture capital investment has slowed in the medical biotech industry as a whole, and larger pharmaceutical companies have been quick to acquire growing mid-sized companies.

But, even with those factors limiting the number of companies the FRA can attract, it expects to do better it has, and adding the industry veterans on its board should help, Brown said."

Link to the Denver Business Journal

Denver Post: 'Fitzsimons Redevelopment names 4 to board'

Quoting from the breaking news posting by Margaret Jackson:

"The Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority has named four new board members as part of its plan to refocus the organization charged with overseeing the development of the bioscience park north of the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora.

Joining the FRA board are:

Don Elliman Jr., executive director of the Charles C. Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Biology and member of the Children's Hospital board.

William Freytag, former chairman and chief executive of Myogen Inc.

James C.T. Linfield, partner-in-charge of the Colorado office of Cooley LLP.

David Perez, president and chief executive of CaridianBCT, which is becoming TerumoBCT."

Link to denverpost.com