Celebrating a Legacy at the BIO International Convention in San Diego

There are way too many good memories from the BIO International Convention for the Spectrum Science team to list. We got to spend valuable time with our clients, catch up with colleagues, witness emerging trends in the biotech and life science industry, and meet new friends. It was an inspiring week in San Diego to say the least.

But one memory that stands out for me was when I spotted a familiar gray-haired man pounding on the keyboard for the warmup band before the Plain White T’s (Hey There Delilah) took the stage at the Rady Shell. I had to look twice before I realized it was Joe Panetta. If the name sounds familiar, then you understand why he was in the spotlight on stage and a big reason why industry leaders from around the globe were at the BIO Convention in San Diego in the first place.

Just days before the convention Panetta officially announced that after 25 years as President and CEO of Biocom California, he would be stepping down and transitioning to president emeritus. Pun intended; this was his swansong.

“You know, sometimes I think maybe there isn’t enough fear in me, and I’ll just do stuff that I should probably consider not doing, but it worked out really well,” says Panetta in a recent interview with Spectrum Science.

A lot has worked out well for Panetta during his tenure at Biocom California in San Diego. The region is dominated by a handful of powerful industries including military, tourism, trade, and most recently biotech and life sciences because of advocacy groups like Biocom California. More importantly, people will tell you Panetta has been instrumental in turning the San Diego region into a world-renowned biotech hub.

“I think about the fact that in 1999, the San Diego biotech cluster was a speck on the map nationally and globally,” says Panetta. “And today it’s clearly known as one of the top three biotech clusters in the world.”

Today San Diego fosters a thriving life science ecosystem and is home to a very high concentration of genomics and precision medicine companies as well as a top destination for biotech and pharmaceutical research. Roughly 2,000 life science companies plus academic and research institutes contribute almost $57 billion in total economic output and support close to 180,000 jobs. Companies including Pfizer, Eli Lilly, and Illumina, and research institutions such as The Scripps Research Institute, and UC San Diego are among the top employers. Those numbers have dipped a bit since the height of the pandemic and the dire need for research and therapeutics, but they are still extremely robust and why the BIO Convention came back to San Diego for the 6th time.

“I heard the other day; I think we had 19,500 people at the convention,” adds Panetta. “It was the most ever on the West Coast.”

For the time being, Panetta is transitioning the reins of Biocom California to his successor, current Chairman of the Biocom California Board of Directors, Tim Scott. He’ll continue to serve in his current role through December and then as an advisor, board member, and lead international programs. If you know Joe Panetta, then you know he’ll always be connecting people and will always be in the spotlight.

“I’m lucky to be here in the San Diego community,” says Panetta with a huge smile. “It’s the greatest community in the world.”

Photo Credit: J.T. MacMillan Photography