By Shamona McClary

Kannapolis Citizen

The city's first public biotechnology forum Thursday drew an overflow crowd of residents and satisfied comments from city officials.

Latecomers to the meeting at the Kannapolis Train Station had to stand along the walls for the first few minutes of the program before additional chairs could be brought in. City Councilman Darrell Hinnant said he and Community Relations Director Jennifer Woodford only expected about 25, but more than 100 people showed up for Biotech 101.

"Our goal is to do this as often as you tell us to," Hinnant advised the audience.

The forum is one of several strategies the city plans to implement to educate its residents on what is about to happen with Dole Food owner David Murdock's N.C. Research Campus.

Collaborating with the University of North Carolina System, Murdock says his company will house university research institutes and start-up company buildings on the campus. Health and nutrition will be the focus of the campus.

Although the campus is not expected to be complete for five to seven years, city officials said education is the best preparation for the knowledge-based industry.

Professionals, who deal with aspects of biotechnology every day shared their personal experiences and answered questions from the audience related to the industry.

Speakers for the forum included moderator Marjorie Benbow, an employee of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte's Office of Technology Transfer; Dr. Mark Clemens, professor and vice chair of UNC-Charlotte's department of biology; Inna Sokolova, UNC-Charlotte assistant professor of biology; and Kenneth Piller, professor for UNC-Charlotte's biology department.

In simple terms, panelists defined biotechnology, its uses in industries and what jobs come from it.

Clemens said biotechnology is a way to use biology and living organisms to help mankind.

Biotechnology is used in everything from making beer and wine to transferring DNA molecules to plants, the panelists explained. Clemens said biotechnology is associated with almost every aspect of life.

"German history has escaped our mitts," Clemens joked, apparently referring to Gregor Mendel, the monk who developed the theory of chromosomes in the mid 1800s and is considered the "Father of Genetics."

According to informative programs provided to guests Thursday night, the biotechnology sector has grown by an average of 10 percent per year for the last several years. And N.C. biotechnology companies, some located in Charlotte, are a $3 billion a year industry and part of the $40 billion global industry. In the biotechnology field, North Carolina is third in the nation, falling behind Massachusetts and California.

Murdock and his team have predicted that about 5,000 people will work on the campus, and economic studies have shown for every one biotech job, four to six are created. This means several thousands of jobs could be created for Kannapolis and the region.

For worried residents, panelists dispelled the myth that only researchers with Ph.D.s would find jobs on the campus. They said researchers create support jobs such as technicians, landscapers, business managers, security personnel and secretaries — every job a normal business would need.

"These are all people involved in building the infrastructure," Sokolova said.

The program said an entry level manufacturing support technician with an associate degree up to a bachelor's degree could earn anywhere from $27,500 to $38,500 a year. A process technician with a high school diploma to an associate degree could make $22,000 to $35,000.

"You don't have to have a Ph.D. to make a good living," Clemens said.

The combination of employment and education was compared to a pyramid on some occasions. In this case, a fewer number of highly educated people make up the top of the pyramid, supported by larger numbers of people with lesser degrees.

"The pyramid would fall over if it's not positioned on a sound foundation," said Tim Foley, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College academic vice president.

Clemens suggested those interested in working in biotechnology be competitive and flexible by getting as much education and training as possible. Four-year degrees in biology, chemistry and math would be most beneficial, but a combination of any one of those areas with a business degree or other specific area would heighten the chance of getting a job.

"Don't be afraid to go back to school," Piller said.

Donna Reimer, a real estate agent for Carolina-Piedmont Properties in Cannon Village, said the forum was wonderful and informative. Although the panelists were obviously knowledgeable, she found them down-to-earth and humorous, she said.

"Kannapolis is going to come back to life again. I can already see the blood coming across the veins," Reimer said. The N.C. Research Campus "is going to put Kannapolis on the map."

Contact Shamona McClary at 704-933-3450 or smcclary@ salisburypost.com.