One "Cool" Project

Unique regional biotechnology park means jobs of the future for Middle Tennessee

By Laura H. Corbin

All of the right ingredients seem to be coming together to create new life in middle Tennessee-Dr. Sam Lynch, a man with a vision; a nearly half-million-dollar state grant; and a committed public-private collaboration.

Together, they're breathing life into the Cool Springs Life Sciences Center (CSLSC), a $74 million biomedical research facility that will house science-focused biotech, pharmaceutical, medical device companies and their support services to be built on a 10-acre campus in Franklin in Williamson County, one of the fastest-growing business locations in the country.

The project initially will house a research campus of three buildings totaling 148,000 square feet. The center will offer a collaborative, campus-like environment with shared resources for research and development, manufacturing, marketing and distribution of pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

After a few false starts and raised hopes as Nashville leaders have pursued biotechnology development, the CSLSC seems to be the "best bet for biotech," a nomenclature also given to Lynch, a former Harvard Medical School professor and alumni. When he moved to the region to be near family, he brought with him from Long Island, N.Y., his business, BioMimetic Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development, commercialization and ultimate marketing of protein therapeutics for tissue and organ regeneration. After garnering some $10 million in venture capital, the company is ready to start Stage III clinical trials, the last set of tests biotech companies must complete before getting FDA approval for their products.

To be able to conduct the tests, BioMimetic must move the rest of its employees from New York into laboratory facilities in the Nashville area. With no such facilities available up to that point, Lynch introduced the notion of developing a life sciences center for the region, which would mean high quality, high-paying jobs and a competitive edge in attracting more biotechnology to the state.

Lynch says the Cool Springs Life Sciences Center will allow BioMimetic to expand operations in the Franklin-Williamson County area. "Without the CSLSC, BioMimetic would have been forced to move the company elsewhere."

He praises the granting of $464,218 Tennessee Industrial Infrastructure Program (TIIP) grant to the city of Franklin in March 2002 for the project. "We believe the TIIP grant will provide a significant incentive for the development of the CSLSC, which in turn will attract a number of companies like BioMimetic," Lynch says.

"Our TIIP grants are usually reserved for more traditional manufacturing operations, but with the Life Sciences Center grant, we are working aggressively to advance technology development in Tennessee and cultivate tomorrow's jobs," says Tony Grande, state commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development. "The development of this new Cool Springs Life Sciences Center signals that middle Tennessee is ready to compete and succeed in the biotechnology industry. We want the world to know that 'Tennessee Means Technology' as we step up our efforts to grow and attract the 'New Economy' jobs of the future."

The CSLSC "will help establish Franklin and Williamson County as a destination location for biomedical facilities in the future," Franklin Mayor Jerry Sharber says, adding that Lynch's efforts have helped make the project a reality. "This represents the kind of high-quality, future-oriented employment opportunities desired for the area."

Caroline Young of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development likens the state's position in biotechnology to where it was 20 years ago in the automobile industry. "We had a handful of automotive suppliers, then came Saturn and Nissan, and it exploded. Now, we have 800 suppliers. We feel we have the resources-Vanderbilt University, St. Jude's in Memphis, and Oak Ridge National Labs-in place for this industry to be successful," she says, noting that other large landowners near the CSLSC are looking to develop it for biotechnology.

"We'll start with Cool Springs, which presents a dynamic opportunity for us to prepare for the future," Young says.

The project also is supported by Vanderbilt University, which plans to lease some space itself and to sublease some to companies spawned from technology developed at the university and elsewhere.

Other support for CSLSC is coming from the Tennessee Biotechnology Association, a state group of leading scientists, researchers, academicians, clinicians, legislators, business and professional people organized to foster, develop and support the biotechnology industry in Tennessee. "TBA is committed to the development of this first-of-its-kind technology cluster focused on biotechnology and life sciences," says TBA's Dennis Grimaud. "The Life Sciences center not only focuses on companies that want to be part of a technology cluster, but is also involved with creating new high-paying jobs. The exciting opportunity is the public-private partnership that is developing between the state, county, city, university and private companies."

"We think this is really the beginning of making Williamson County a regional research hub," county official Bob Iannocone says. "It has taken many years and the support of many people to get to this point."

Young says hopes are to break ground in the spring of 2003.

Laura H. Corbin is a freelance writer residing in Spartanburg, S.C., and specializing in economic development and business issues. Contact her at laura_h_corbin@yahoo.com.