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Year 2005 Initiatives
and BMTC and BioHouston Merger

Date/Time:
Tuesday, January 4, 2005
7:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.

Location:
Crowne Plaza Hotel, 6701 South Main St. (713) 797-1110
Map and Driving Information

Event Information

Dear Members:
We have two agenda items for the upcoming January 4th BMTC Breakfast Meeting: (A) New initiatives for year 2005 and (B) Town Hall discussion on the BioHouston merger proposal.

A. Year 2005 Initiatives

As the BMTC proceeds through the approval process for 501(c)(3) status, the Steering Committee proposes an initiative to expand our educational purposes. We recommend a targeted effort to enhance the participation of graduate students, post-doc fellows, and junior faculty at our monthly breakfast meetings. By doing as such, we expect to augment collaborations between laboratory researchers and clinical investigators from multiple institutions and companies. The outcome will be expanding the involvement of individuals working in basic and applied sciences and integrating research interests with commercial opportunities and market demand.

B. BMTC and BioHouston Merger

As announced at our December 7th breakfast meeting, BioHouston met with the BMTC steering committee and proposed the merger of the BMTC breakfast meeting into the BioHouston organization. The BMTC Steering Committee has created the following timeline for the review and decision making on this proposal:

• Tuesday January 4, 2005 Information gathering and discussion of the proposal
• Saturday February 5, 2005 Deadline for renewing memberships
• Thursday February 10, 2005 Distribution of voting document to BMTC members only
• Sunday February 20, 2005 Due date for member vote by email
• Tuesday March 1, 2005 Results of member vote

In 2005, BioHouston will launch a monthly breakfast series for those interested in or working in the life sciences. This will be an "all-comers" breakfast for the BioHouston Members and Associates and other interested parties. The BioHouston Breakfast Forum will meet regularly on the second Tuesday of the month, beginning February 8, 2005. Breakfast and networking will begin at 7:00 am, with the meeting beginning at 7:30 am. BioHouston will kick-off the meetings with a short state-of-the-industry/calendar update, followed by the featured speaker. Cost will be $15-$25 per person and tentative location is the Edwin Hornberger Conference Center located at 2151 W Holcombe Blvd. For more information see website at www.biohouston.org.

Following is the text of the outline provided by BioHouston of the expected benefits of combining the BMTC with BioHouston.

1. The various biotechnology constituencies within the Houston metropolitan area are increasingly seeking one organizational brand identity.

2. A stronger, more cohesive, biotechnology development message will evolve by combining the strengths of BioHouston with the biomedical breakfast club’s activities.

3. BioHouston’s strong organization, national and Texas-wide visibility, and strong support within the academic, business, civic, and political communities will provide increased visibility to biomedical breakfast club members.

4. BioHouston is providing the Biomedical Breakfast Club with the opportunity to join forces and collectively develop a high quality, high content, and high value breakfast forum addressing biotechnology interests in the Houston metropolitan area. We would like the Biomedical Breakfast Club to share and support BioHouston’s vision and strategy for biotechnology development in Houston.

5. BioHouston is moving ahead with its inaugural breakfast forum on February 8, 2005. We welcome the opportunity for the Biomedical Breakfast Club to merge its interests with BioHouston and collectively move forward in a mutually cooperative manner.

The BMTC Steering Committee has prepared a list of considerations to assist our members as they ponder the pros and cons of merging the BMTC breakfast meeting activities into BioHouston.

1. Currently we have two groups supporting a common mission with different audiences. Does the BMTC membership desire only one venue for biotechnology development in Houston?

2. First meeting in May of 1985, the BMTC has nearly 20 years of experience in meeting monthly to focus on issues related to human health care. Does the BMTC membership desire to change the way we provide networking opportunities and connect with professionals in a variety of related industries?

3. The BMTC provides a link between the biotechnology and life science industries within the Houston area. Our current focus is local by providing information exchange among executive leaders, academic experts, and professionals in related Houston industries. We have however periodically enlisted high level individual speakers and panel presentations from state level organizations. Does the BMTC membership want to shift/expand its focus to the state and national level?

4. The BMTC mission is to foster the development and growth of biotechnology and life science in Houston. We do this by providing an informal forum for information exchange on the commercialization of biotechnology, bioengineering, medicine, and related areas to all interested parties. Does the BMTC membership want to join the BioHouston organization to support a mutual goal or continue along our planned path to organize for educational purposes as a 501(c)(3) entity?

5. BMTC breakfast meetings are scheduled for the 1st Tuesday of each month from 7-8:30 am at the Crown Plaza Hotel Medical Center. The BioHouston breakfast forum will meet on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 7:00 am. Does the BMTC membership want to change the venue?

Cost:
$15 - Members with online reservations
$20 - Members with no reservations or non-members with online reservations
$25 - Non-members with no reservations

Reservations:
Registration Closed

RSVP by Wednesday, December 29, 2004
No-show reservations will be billed.
Cash or check payments due on or before day of event.

 

 

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