Press Release
From Economic Development Coalition for Asheville – Buncombe County:
Asheville, N.C.–The Economic Development Coalition for Asheville-Buncombe County (EDC), Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College and the NC Biotechnology Center jointly announced today that f(x) Immune Company will locate its new company in Asheville.
In early January 2014, f(x) Immune Co. will begin operations in the Technology Commercialization Center at the A-B Tech Community College’s Business Acceleration Site in Enka (BASE) as a participant in the Business Incubator Program. f(x) Immune Co. is a spin-out from parent company Flow Applications Inc. with headquarters in the greater St. Louis area and with labs in the greater Atlanta area. f(x) Immune Co. is an immuno-diagnostic companion assay developer, offering laboratory services and biologics development support for member companies of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRma).
Over the next three-years, f(x) Immune Co. will hire up to six lab technicians for its new operation in Asheville. The company will give priority to associate degreed Laboratory Technicians trained in NCCLS accredited programs and graduates of the former A-B Tech Biotechnology Associate Program in Applied Science. Resumes and cover letters are invited and will be accepted atinfo@fx-immune.com. f(x) Immune Co. also plans to use lab services of the NC BioNetwork hosted at A-B Tech.
Company principals cited a number of reasons for the selection of Asheville, including the incubator and wet-labs in the tech commercialization center at A-B Tech, the robust talent pipeline for life sciences, and the EDC’s strategic focus on science and technology jobs and knowledge based entrepreneurship.
“The leadership of the NC Biotech Center’s Western Office traveled to our headquarters in 2011 to present these competitive advantages,” recalled Michael Hickey. “The EDC, A-B Tech and the Biotech Center teamed up to do an exceptional job facilitating our visits to the community. We are confident that the Asheville operations will meet our growth objectives in 2014 and beyond.”
“The f(x) announcement shows the community’s commitment and ability to compete for the Science and Technology jobs of the next generation,” observed EDC Board Chair Paul Szurek. “The partnership of A-B Tech and NC Biotech Center is very valuable in meeting the ambitious goals of the AVL 5×5 plan.”
f(x) Immune Company is led by principals Michael H. Hickey BS, MLS (ASCP) and Joseph E. Martinez PhD. with a combined 60-years of experience in the life sciences sector. Mr. Hickey described the company’s competitive advantage as the development of laboratory technologies in collaboration with its parent company Flow Applications Inc. and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that will significantly decrease the time and expense of new biologics introduction. Collectively termed Multi-plexed Opsonic Detection Technologies (MODT), these methods will satisfy the criteria set down by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for classes of therapeutics known as biologics inclusive of bacterial vaccines and therapeutic monoclonal antibodies.
The EDC for Asheville-Buncombe County is a public-private partnership committed to: creating and retaining high quality jobs, community leadership, and being a resource for better business decisions. The EDC accomplishes this mission through its four core services: business retention and expansion, small business and entrepreneurship, research, and marketing and recruitment. The EDC is funded by Buncombe County, the City of Asheville, the Town of Weaverville, the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce and the AVL 5×5 Campaign.
The Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce is a member organization with over 1,800 member businesses and organizations. Chamber members collaborate with community organizations and coalitions to support the community and each other with the mission of building community through business. The Chamber is home to a 4,000 square foot Visitor Center which welcomes over 195,000 visitors per year.
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