LUKE BURNETT: It's tobacco town.
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BURNETT: The R.J. Reynolds family had a lot of real estate and a lot of tobacco farms in this general area.
And folks are probably aware that there's a brand of cigarettes called Winstons,
and there's a brand of cigarettes called Salems - that's not an accident.
In the '90s, the tobacco industry was starting to wind down, if you will.
I wouldn't say desolate, but it was very much a different town.
You know, a lot of empty warehouses.
RUSS READ: I wouldn't travel down here 20 years ago.
BURNETT: There's been a lot of work in Winston to transition to what I'll call
'old world economy' jobs and manufacturing to 'new world economy' jobs.
You know, biotech, high tech.
I’m Luke Burnett, and I’m the CEO and Chief Science Officer of KeraNetics.
BURNETT: …comes in, um, and we start the process…
BURNETT: KeraNetics was founded in 2008. We found a really unique protein called keratin.
We moved two products through the FDA.
One is a cream that’s indicated for a condition called radiation dermatitis,
and that’s the skin toxicity that occurs with planned radiotherapy.
The largest market there, obviously, is breast cancer.
TECHNICIAN: This is the valve that controls the [inaudible] flow back to the tank, and so it…
BURNETT: And as an employer in the biotech sector here in Winston,
I was having a challenge finding employees with the right skillsets.
DR. CHERYL BURRELL: We are targeting people who are in industry
who would like to work part-time as instructors in the community college.
READ: With KeraNetics, it’s extremely important for them to be wired into us
because we really need to make sure that we deliver the skills that they need.
But at the same time, they need our talent. So it’s a win-win.
BURNETT: InnovATEBIO – it’s a vehicle to bring groups that don’t always interact with each other,
and can kind of solve core, common problems.
READ: If we did not have this kind of funding from ATE via InnovATEBIO,
we would not be able to do this kind of professional development of our faculty.
JENNIFER COULOMBE: As we are kind of in a demographic drought,
employers are looking for more and more ways to connect with students early in the talent pipeline,
and work-based learning is just a beautiful opportunity to create that relationship.
INSTRUCTOR: And the way we’re going to find that out is by sequencing the DNA.
BURNETT: The educational system in the U.S. is the best in the world because we put resources into it,
both in the medical space and the tech sector.
And NSF has been a leader in a lot of that.
BURRELL: These are cheek cells. These are squamous epithelial cells, so they…
BURRELL: It’s very good for students to hear not only from me what’s required in the workforce,
but hearing from individuals who are going to employ them what is required so that they can know that,
“This is something I definitely need to pay attention to.”
BURNETT: And I say, “Hey, you know, this is what I’m looking for in a new employee,”
they’ll work through curriculum development to ensure that those people are available.
ANGEL RAMIREZ: We have, um, we’re running small scale, next we got running the [inaudible]…
RAMIREZ: My name’s Angel Ramirez, I’m a bioprocessing technician here at KeraNetics.
If I had a shirt, it’d say “I love my job,” yes. [laughs]
BURNETT: He has just been an absolute joy and part of our team. We're a small company – it’s like a family, right? [laughs]
And so, bringing new people into your family is a little bit of a challenge, and he fit in immediately.
READ: The very skilled experience that students need to have is crucial because it means that they’re work-ready.
And I think, at the end of the day, when you think about ATE programs, you think about preparing the skilled technical worker.
That is the formula.
BURRELL: So, if I’m going to be measuring 150 microliters, this is what we should do.
BURRELL: To be able to guide students who come into my doors with very little confidence, very little experience,
and I can see their potential before they even see it themselves.
They graduate, and they do wonderful things.
And that, to me, is one of the most rewarding experiences.
RAMIREZ: I’m very proud of myself. I know it hasn’t been an easy ride to get here, where I am,
but I think that’s how life is, you know? Life is full of roller coasters.
No one knows where you’re going to end up, but I enjoy every single part of my day coming to-, to work.
BURNETT: It takes everyone. It’s an ecosystem – it really is.
And if one cog in that wheel doesn’t work, the whole system doesn’t work.
It’s been rewarding to be a part of this; kind of watch Winston-Salem grow
from an old tobacco and textile town to biotech and high tech and education.
READ: It’s vibrant, and people want to move here, and there’s apartments, and there’s students, and there’s small businesses.
There’s opportunity here, it’s great. It’s a-, it’s a total 180.
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