Research Triangle Region Debuts Talent Attraction Campaign at BIO 2012
Work in the Triangle Initiative Positions The Triangle, North Carolina as a Smart Place for Bioscience Professionalsto Work and Live
BOSTON – June 18, 2012 – Wake County Economic Development has announced that for the first time, representatives from the Research Triangle Region, which encompasses the cities of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill,are attending BIO International Convention’s BIO Career Fair June 18 (booth #104) in Boston to target not only companies looking to expand or relocate as they have done in the past, but also bioscience professionals themselves with the region’s “Work in the Triangle” campaign (
Competition to recruit the best and brightest in this industry is fierce. The Research Triangle Region is consistently recognized as one of the nation’s leaders in biotechnology, but at least 45 states and 27 countries are targeting biotechnology companies and talent for recruitment. The Triangle’s Work in the Triangle campaign aims to maintain the region’s leadership in attracting these skilled professionals to the area.
“While there are so many talented professionals already living and working for bioscience companies in the Triangle, this campaign is as much about tomorrow as it is today,” said Jennifer Bosser, assistant executive director for Wake County Economic Development. “This initiative is really a proactive way to keep our talent pipeline strong for our growing bioscience industry and companies that are thriving in our region, while assisting them in filling any of their immediate openings. It is also helping us showcase what makes the Triangle such an attractive place to work, live, learn and play.”
As bioscience companies continue to do well and expand in the region, there continues to be demand for talented professionals in the industry. Tellingly, just this month, Forbes ranked the Raleigh-Cary metro region as one of the top three places to find a job this summer with more than 25 percent of the area’s hiring managers expecting to hire in the third quarter.
Syngenta, ranked as one of the top 10 employers in biotech by Science magazine, is one of the companies looking to recruit at the BIO Career Fair. The company has more than 20 R&D positions open in its Research Triangle Park campus to help support the expansion of its agricultural R&D programs.
“We’ve been operating in the Research Triangle Park for more than 25 years and the community here has been very supportive of Syngenta and its employees,” said Michiel van LookerenCampagne, Ph.D., head of biotechnology for Syngenta. “North Carolina is a leader in agricultural biotechnology, and close ties with academic and research institutions provide an environment that fosters innovation.”
At BIO, key spokespeople on behalf of the Work in the Triangle campaign will be addressing a national audience for the first time – BIO Convention attendees – focusing on matching talented professionals with some of the job opportunities the Triangle currently has to offer, as part of the third largest biotech cluster in the nation. BIO Convention and Career Fair attendees can engage with the Work in the Triangle campaign by meeting with companies and Triangle representatives at the “Work in the Triangle” BIO Career Fair booth (#104) or the North Carolina Pavilion at BIO (#2935). At the booth, attendees can sign up for eNewsletters and industry-specific job postings for a chance to win a trip to the Triangle to explore the region’s high qualityof life and career opportunities firsthand.
BIO attendees can also participate in the “Work in the Triangle Virtual Career Fair,” taking place on Twitter throughout the BIO Convention and Career Fair. The Work in the Trianglecampaignhas teamed up with bioscience partners and companies in the Triangle to post numerous job openings on Twitter. Talented professionals from across the country, including those already living and working in the industry in the Triangle, can also follow the handle@WorkTriangleNC and the hashtags #BIO2012 and#workinthetriangle for real-time bioscience job postings.
The Research Triangle Region aloneboasts more than 500 life science companies, andNorth Carolina has the first state-sponsored center dedicated to growing a biotech industry. The stateproduces more than 225,000 jobs, and the Research Triangle’s life science industry employs 33,183 people at 372 sites. In addition, the Research Triangle region is known for its highly skilled workforce, with 46percent of the region’s workforce 25 yearsor older holdinga Bachelor’s degree or higher, making the region one of most educated areas in the United Statesand known for its talent.
ABOUT WORK IN THE TRIANGLE:
Work in the Triangle is a regional talent attraction initiative that aims to connect and recruit top talent with employers and job opportunities in key industry clusters of the Triangle area of North Carolina. The initiative, led by Wake County Economic Development (WCED), is a partnership among the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, Competitive EDGE4, Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce, Chapel Hill – Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, Orange County Economic Development, Research Triangle Foundation and the Research Triangle Regional Partnership. Though the Triangle has a high number of talented workers, the region launched Work in the Triangle to beproactive about continuing to recruit the best and brightest talent for the industries and companies in the region andposition the Triangle nationally and internationally as a smarter place for talented skilled professionals to work, live, play and learn. For more information, please visit
ABOUT WAKE COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT:
Wake County Economic Development (WCED), a program of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, is the primary economic development organization for Wake County and its 12 municipalities.WCED hosts clients evaluating Wake County for possible facility locations each year and facilitates dozens of corporate expansions, resulting in new jobs and capital investment for Raleigh and Wake County. Services available to companies that are considering relocating or expanding in Wake County include economic and demographic research, site and building inventory searches, visitation itineraries, community tours, corporate executive and employee briefings, employee relocation assistance, and post-relocation services. In both 2002 and 2003, Site Selection magazine recognized WCED as one of the top ten economic development organizations in the United States. For more information, visit
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Media Contacts:
Jennifer Bosser, Wake County Economic Development
919.664.7045
Rachel Deloffre, DCI
303.455.9425