REGION COURTING FOREIGN BUSINESS - UC DAVIS, CAPITAL ADDED TO ITINERARY OF LARGE EUROPEAN BIOTECH MISSION
SACRAMENTO BEE - JULY 24, 1991
Author: By Philip J. Garcia Bee Staff Writer
In a small but important milestone for local economic development efforts, a prestigious group of European companies will visit the Sacramento area this fall as part of a biotechnology mission to California, officials said Tuesday.
The upcoming visit to the University of California, Davis, marks the first time European biotech and chemical companies will officially tour the Sacramento area, which traditionally has been overlooked despite the presence of a top-notch biotech research program at UCD.
The visit, tentatively scheduled for late October, stems in part from recent meetings in Frankfurt, Germany, between the European companies and officials from the Sacramento Area Commerce and Trade Organization and the UCD biotech program.
The meetings took place during Europe's annual biotechnology trade fair in early June.
SACTO officials declined to name the companies expected to participate in the visit. But it's anticipated that they will include many of the same companies in attendance at the Frankfurt trade fair, including Bayer AG, Henning Berlin, Hoechst AG, and E. Merck, all of which are German firms.
Meeting with the companies in Frankfurt were Mary Gonsalves, SACTO's manager of economic development, and two UCD officials, Robert D. Grey, dean of biological sciences and George Bruening, a professor in plant pathology and a biochemist.
In an interview, Gonsalves noted that none of the companies have committed to locate operations in the Sacramento area. But she said, We made significant advances in the marketing of this region to European firms, highlighting the resources on the UC Davis campus.
Bruening, the plant pathology professor, said the meetings in Frankfurt were crucial.
We have a worldwide reputation, especially in agriculture, he said. But we may be an undervalued commodity in biotechnology.
Initially, the European companies were scheduled to only visit San Diego and the Bay Area, home to biotechnology industry leaders such as Chiron and Genentech.
But Sacramento is now a stop on the tour, which is being organized by the state of California's foreign investment office in Frankfurt.
The joining of forces by SACTO and UCD is a strategic alliance designed to tout the Sacramento area as ideal for biotech companies.
In general, SACTO hopes to highlight the high-quality biotech research at UCD, Sacramento's location in a major agricultural region and the area's favorable business climate, such as lower real estate costs compared with the Bay Area and Southern California.
One European company, Novo Nordisk, a Danish health and biotech company, already has established a subsidiary in Davis.
Pam Marrone , president of Entotech Inc., a biopesticide company and the Novo Nordisk subsidiary, said Davis was selected over competing locations in Seattle and Raleigh, N.C.
She cited three factors in the company's decision: quality of life, which is crucial in being able to attract top scientists; Davis' location in an agricultural region; and the presence of UCD, a top agricultural university.
We've been able to recruit nationally . . . because the whole Sacramento area is very attractive in cost of living, relative to the Bay Area and the East Coast, Marrone said.
Edition: METRO FINALThe upcoming visit to the University of California, Davis, marks the first time European biotech and chemical companies will officially tour the Sacramento area, which traditionally has been overlooked despite the presence of a top-notch biotech research program at UCD.
The visit, tentatively scheduled for late October, stems in part from recent meetings in Frankfurt, Germany, between the European companies and officials from the Sacramento Area Commerce and Trade Organization and the UCD biotech program.
The meetings took place during Europe's annual biotechnology trade fair in early June.
SACTO officials declined to name the companies expected to participate in the visit. But it's anticipated that they will include many of the same companies in attendance at the Frankfurt trade fair, including Bayer AG, Henning Berlin, Hoechst AG, and E. Merck, all of which are German firms.
Meeting with the companies in Frankfurt were Mary Gonsalves, SACTO's manager of economic development, and two UCD officials, Robert D. Grey, dean of biological sciences and George Bruening, a professor in plant pathology and a biochemist.
In an interview, Gonsalves noted that none of the companies have committed to locate operations in the Sacramento area. But she said, We made significant advances in the marketing of this region to European firms, highlighting the resources on the UC Davis campus.
Bruening, the plant pathology professor, said the meetings in Frankfurt were crucial.
We have a worldwide reputation, especially in agriculture, he said. But we may be an undervalued commodity in biotechnology.
Initially, the European companies were scheduled to only visit San Diego and the Bay Area, home to biotechnology industry leaders such as Chiron and Genentech.
But Sacramento is now a stop on the tour, which is being organized by the state of California's foreign investment office in Frankfurt.
The joining of forces by SACTO and UCD is a strategic alliance designed to tout the Sacramento area as ideal for biotech companies.
In general, SACTO hopes to highlight the high-quality biotech research at UCD, Sacramento's location in a major agricultural region and the area's favorable business climate, such as lower real estate costs compared with the Bay Area and Southern California.
One European company, Novo Nordisk, a Danish health and biotech company, already has established a subsidiary in Davis.
Pam Marrone , president of Entotech Inc., a biopesticide company and the Novo Nordisk subsidiary, said Davis was selected over competing locations in Seattle and Raleigh, N.C.
She cited three factors in the company's decision: quality of life, which is crucial in being able to attract top scientists; Davis' location in an agricultural region; and the presence of UCD, a top agricultural university.
We've been able to recruit nationally . . . because the whole Sacramento area is very attractive in cost of living, relative to the Bay Area and the East Coast, Marrone said.
Section: BUSINESS
Page: D1
Index Terms: CALIF EDUCATION EUROPE DAVIS
