Greater Gainesville Businesses Make an Impact Across the Globe
A product that helps restore a nerve to help a patient walk, an anti-COVID-19 antibodies injection which can help to reduce the spread and morbidity of the virus, software that helps the United States improve roads and infrastructure across state transportation systems: These are all products that can have a direct and immediate impact on the quality of people’s lives, and they were all developed in Greater Gainesville. For the third year in a row, the University of Florida’s 40,000-square-foot biotechnology incubator, Sid Martin Biotech, was named the top biotech incubator in the world. In a recently released report, UF was ranked No. 1 in innovation impact, with an average of 123 patents annually. The path leading from Sid Martin to San Felasco Tech City is burgeoning with innovative companies making amazing discoveries and contributing to biotech and pharmaceutical advances.
The Greater Gainesville innovation economy has grown steadily since the mid-1980s. UF recognized the need to foster the commercialization of university-based research, so in 1985, it established the Office of Technology to assist in bringing to market the discoveries of UF’s scientists. UF’s two business incubators have attracted $12 billion in investment to the region over the last 25 years. The Sid Martin Biotech in Alachua has maintained full occupancy over the past five years and currently houses 15 companies. More than 100 businesses have gotten their start at Sid Martin, and 88% were still operating, or had been acquired, five years after graduating from the incubator. Sid Martin has been named Global Incubator of the Year by the trade organization InBia three times, in 2013, 2017 and 2020, while no other incubator has been recognized more than once.
Improving lives
Greater Gainesville is also home to large businesses with a global presence, such as Infotech, Exactech, Ology Bio and the Intercountry Accreditation Adoption and Maintenance Entity. IAAME is a locally based organization created for the accreditation, approval, monitoring and oversight of adoption service providers providing intercountry adoption services. This means that the Gainesville-based agency makes an impact with every child adopted in the United States from other countries. The Greater Gainesville area is a major provider of critical medical technologies that impact patients’ lives globally. Quality supplies such as joint replacements and surgical implants help improve quality of life exponentially. Exactech is a global leader in joint replacements.
The company employs more than 830 people worldwide, with more than 550 employees in Gainesville. Exactech has 10 international offices. Its products are distributed throughout the United States and in more than 35 markets in Europe, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific. RTI Surgical is a surgical implant company based on technology developed at the University of Florida. The company provides design, new product development, processing and manufacturing services in support of patients and leading medical technology companies. It has three locations in addition to its Alachua headquarters, one of which is in Germany.
“For 20 years, RTI has led the way in tissue safety for biologic implants in our industry, always keeping the patient in mind,” Camille Farhat, president and CEO of RTI Surgical, said. “Our commitment to tissue safety is evident by our redundant safeguards and proprietary, validated sterilization processes, allowing us to achieve more than 8 million biologic implants with zero confirmed incidence of implant-associated infection. We celebrate these milestones in honor of the healthcare professionals and patients we serve globally and with an appreciation for the gifts of life that make such healing and restoration possible.”
Axogen, which originated at Sid Martin Biotech, is a pioneer in the regenerative medicine market, with a product portfolio for peripheral nerve repair. Axogen’s platform for nerve repair offers a comprehensive portfolio of surgical solutions to help restore nerve function and patient quality of life. It had a market capitalization of $720 million as of February 2021. The InterMed Group is a national leader in providing solutions for hospitals’ medical equipment needs, including portable X-ray machines, CT scanners and defibrillators.
Much of InterMed’s staff works in hospitals and are responsible for the equipment, including helping select it, forecast needs, complying with regulations, networking devices and providing efficient maintenance in innovative ways. InterMed’s cybersecurity work is crucial for protecting healthcare systems from an exploit known as SweynTooth, which has the potential to wirelessly crash a device, stop it from functioning or access commands and information regularly only available to authorized users. InterMed’s products can help to stop or lower this risk, allowing the world’s hospitals and healthcare organizations to continue to provide essential healthcare.
Advancing clinical research across the globe
It is not just in the hospital where Gainesville businesses impact healthcare, but also in the laboratory, creating medical solutions that help improve clinical research. Ology Bio has more than 20 years of experience developing and manufacturing drugs and biologics for the U.S. government, with more than $1.8 billion in government contracts awarded. Ology Bio has a proprietary vaccine delivery technology and a variety of platform expression systems.
In fact, Ology conducted clinical trials for an innovative anti-COVID-19 antibodies injection. When finalized, the injection could help reduce spread and morbidity of the virus, improving lives for people around the world.In April, Ology Bio was acquired by Resilience, a company building the world’s most advanced biopharmaceutical manufacturing ecosystem. According to Rahul Singhvi, Resilience’s chief executive officer, the acquisition provides additional resources and capabilities to accomplish its mission to broaden access to complex medicines, protect biopharmaceutical supply chains and strengthen preparedness.
“This premier space, and the talented employees who are joining Resilience, will help us expand our business in new directions,” Singhvi said.
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has an annual revenue exceeding $30 billion. Its global team includes more than 80,000 colleagues who deliver products and services that enable customers to push science and technology a step beyond. Thermo Fisher’s industry-leading brands, including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services and Patheon, help customers speed up life sciences research, solve difficult challenges, improve patient therapies or increase productivity in their laboratories.
Improving technology and infrastructureThese national and global companies based in Greater Gainesville are not just confined to the medical district. Moltech Power produces high-performance renewable energy batteries and has been headquartered in Greater Gainesville since its founding in 2002. The company provides batteries for hybrid electric vehicles that are smaller, lighter and capable of providing more power compared to other HEV batteries. Its products are major sellers in the battery industry. Infotech is a leader in infrastructure construction software solutions.
Informed by Department of Transportation relationships and four decades of experience, Infotech’s Systems business provides software solutions that advance and automate infrastructure construction, while Infotech’s Consulting business provides expert statistical and econometric litigation consulting services and support. Infotech is the developer of Appia, Bid Express and Doc Express and is the official contractor for AASHTOWare Project. Infotech’s products are changing the way business is practiced. Its products use cloud-based software for a secure business experience in e-construction, which has improved DOT operations nationally and helps improve needed infrastructure.
“Infotech’s products and services are primarily developed in the Greater Gainesville area, but our impact is far greater — reaching nearly every corner of the country,” said Lacey Jones, Infotech director of marketing and communications. “Our solutions have a national reach by supporting the maintenance and construction of our country’s infrastructure, which is something of great value to all of us.”