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Readers show support for Cleveland biotech hub
March 2010
SHARING OPTIONS:
Two interesting events followed my February commentary,
"Cleveland: The next biotech hub?" First, readers began to contact me to show
support for my argument that with
some effort and organization,
multi-challenged Cleveland could become the next Research Triangle Park. And
second, in an odd paradox of the sort that
often fuels Cleveland's persistent
inferiority complex, Forbes released its
annual Top 10 Most Miserable Cities
in the United States, with Cleveland
topping the list.
While the Forbes
report raised the usual ire (note: I'm purposely choosing
a euphemism for some
of the language I heard after the news broke) Clevelanders show when some media
outlet or another puts our flaws under a national
magnifying glass, it did
manage to avoid the ubiquitous mention of our river catching on fire several
decades ago. To me, a native Clevelander who has
heard this story told so often
and with such misinformation that it's practically become a tall tale, that's a
start.
Forbes did, however,
succumb to the temptation to use the cutesy phrase, "Mistake on the lake," when
it
explained why it Cleveland topped its "Misery Measure." In a nutshell, Forbes said Cleveland nabbed the top spot because of its
"high
unemployment, high taxes, lousy weather, corrupt public officials and of
course, crummy sports teams."
These problems are well documented by many reporters, most
recently by me in my February column. I'm a journalist, after all, and it's my
job to shine a light on the truth, not run from it. But Forbes made mention of
other, more positive truths, to which I alluded last month. "There are
certainly bright spots in Cleveland," the magazine said, pointing out that "the
Cleveland Clinic is one of the top medical centers in the U.S. and
the largest
employer in northeast Ohio," and that the city has plans to construct "the
Cleveland Medical Mart, which is a convention center that
targets the medical
and healthcare industries."
Not a bad foundation for another domestic
biotech hub, if
you ask me. And if you ask many of our readers, they agree.
"As a native son of
northeast Ohio, and a person who
received two degrees in Ohio, I enjoyed your recent blurb about the city being
the next biotech hub," one Abbott Labs employee wrote. "Nothing would please me
more than to see
Cleveland rise from the ashes and become a place where
educated people chose to live and work, especially in the biotech/pharma area.
I'd be scouring
the job scene in order to return from my exile here in
Illinois. Clevelanders are grounded, having been through a lot in the last 25
years (and we're
not even going to comment on their sports woes.) They are
strong enough to survive brutal winters, hot, humid summers and come back for
more. I'd be
first in line to come back, without question."
Another reader, who is currently employed by Pfizer, wrote:
"Great piece, and considering the ongoing massive
ongoing layoffs in the
biopharmaceutical industry, a timely reminder that there are more places to
consider than Boston and San Diego."
And a former Cleveland suburbanite who now works for a drug
discovery service company in upstate New York chimed in, "It has
been a long
time since I looked to see what employment opportunities exist for a medicinal
chemist in Ohio, but I will keep my eyes open. While I enjoy
living in upstate
New York, I would welcome the chance to come 'home.'"
At LabAutomation 2010 in January, I had the thrill of seeing
Molecular Groove, PerkinElmer's company band, perform "The
Heart of Rock &
Roll" by Huey Lewis & the News. Clad in neon hair bows, Devo hats and
legwarmers, they crooned, "the heart of rock and roll
is still beating … in
Cleveland," with conviction. And from what I see, I believe 'em.
I was
pleasantly surprised to find out how well Cleveland is
represented in some of the most successful pharma and biotech companies in the
country, and
appreciative that so many came out of their "exile" to support the
notion that the drug discovery industry could thrive here. Ken Silliman, chief
of
staff to Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, perhaps summed up the unique
perseverance that these and other Clevelanders have in their blood when he told
Forbes, "Clevelanders over the years
have developed a tenacity to deal with these kinds of situations, and we are
very aggressive in
attempting to solve our problems rather than awaiting
someone else's solutions."
If that isn't
what this industry needs right now, I don't
know what is. Now if only our local government officials could turn away from
the nasty FBI dragnet that
has Cuyahoga County in an uproar, we could perhaps
repeat North Carolina's success. Thanks, readers. Back |
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