It seems like this summer has flown by, but sometimes we need to simply pause and celebrate. Maybe it’s those garden tomatoes finally ripening; maybe it’s taking that adventurous summer vacation with your family, or attending the State fair with friends. In addition to enjoying summer’s bounty and warm weather, I want to pause and celebrate our IowaBio members, who are also growing and thriving this summer.

I was honored to attend three ribbon cuttings in about a month’s time—Chevron celebrated the opening of their new R&D facility in Ames, I attended the new ORF Biologics facility in Tiffin, and then the new Cargill Qore facility in Eddyville, IA. Each marks an important milestone for these companies and highlights significant continued investment in Iowa’s biotech ecosystem.

These are forward-looking companies, making future-focused decisions on how they will grow their diverse, innovative businesses here in the state, all while changing the game in their respective industries. Each company and all the individuals who contributed to these milestones, deserve recognition for their innovation and hard work to bring these projects to fruition!

We also welcomed a new member of the IowaBio family—Mary Lyon, IowaBio’s Administrative and STEM Coordinator recently gave birth to Henry August Lyon, and we couldn’t be happier for her and her husband Cody! Mary will be on maternity leave, returning in the Fall.