WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:01.500 LUKE BURNETT: It's tobacco town. 00:01.000 --> 00:05.000 [MUSIC] 00:05.000 --> 00:10.000 BURNETT: The R.J. Reynolds family had a lot of real estate and a lot of tobacco farms in this general area. 00:10.000 --> 00:13.500 And folks are probably aware that there's a brand of cigarettes called Winstons, 00:13.500 --> 00:17.000 and there's a brand of cigarettes called Salems - that's not an accident. 00:17.500 --> 00:21.500 In the '90s, the tobacco industry was starting to wind down, if you will. 00:21.500 --> 00:24.500 I wouldn't say desolate, but it was very much a different town. 00:24.500 --> 00:28.000 You know, a lot of empty warehouses. 00:28.000 --> 00:31.000 RUSS READ: I wouldn't travel down here 20 years ago. 00:31.000 --> 00:36.000 BURNETT: There's been a lot of work in Winston to transition to what I'll call 00:36.000 --> 00:41.000 'old world economy' jobs and manufacturing to 'new world economy' jobs. 00:41.000 --> 00:44.000 You know, biotech, high tech. 00:51.000 --> 00:54.000 I’m Luke Burnett, and I’m the CEO and Chief Science Officer of KeraNetics. 00:58.000 --> 01:01.000 BURNETT: …comes in, um, and we start the process… 01:01.000 --> 01:06.000 BURNETT: KeraNetics was founded in 2008. We found a really unique protein called keratin. 01:06.000 --> 01:08.500 We moved two products through the FDA. 01:08.500 --> 01:13.000 One is a cream that’s indicated for a condition called radiation dermatitis, 01:13.000 --> 01:17.000 and that’s the skin toxicity that occurs with planned radiotherapy. 01:17.000 --> 01:20.000 The largest market there, obviously, is breast cancer. 01:20.000 --> 01:25.000 TECHNICIAN: This is the valve that controls the [inaudible] flow back to the tank, and so it… 01:25.000 --> 01:29.000 BURNETT: And as an employer in the biotech sector here in Winston, 01:29.000 --> 01:34.000 I was having a challenge finding employees with the right skillsets. 01:36.000 --> 01:39.000 DR. CHERYL BURRELL: We are targeting people who are in industry 01:39.000 --> 01:44.000 who would like to work part-time as instructors in the community college. 01:44.000 --> 01:48.000 READ: With KeraNetics, it’s extremely important for them to be wired into us 01:48.000 --> 01:52.000 because we really need to make sure that we deliver the skills that they need. 01:52.000 --> 01:56.000 But at the same time, they need our talent. So it’s a win-win. 01:56.500 --> 02:03.000 BURNETT: InnovATEBIO – it’s a vehicle to bring groups that don’t always interact with each other, 02:03.000 --> 02:06.000 and can kind of solve core, common problems. 02:17.000 --> 02:22.000 READ: If we did not have this kind of funding from ATE via InnovATEBIO, 02:22.000 --> 02:26.000 we would not be able to do this kind of professional development of our faculty. 02:33.000 --> 02:36.000 JENNIFER COULOMBE: As we are kind of in a demographic drought, 02:36.000 --> 02:43.000 employers are looking for more and more ways to connect with students early in the talent pipeline, 02:43.000 --> 02:48.000 and work-based learning is just a beautiful opportunity to create that relationship. 02:48.000 --> 02:52.000 INSTRUCTOR: And the way we’re going to find that out is by sequencing the DNA. 02:52.000 --> 02:58.000 BURNETT: The educational system in the U.S. is the best in the world because we put resources into it, 02:58.000 --> 03:02.000 both in the medical space and the tech sector. 03:02.000 --> 03:06.000 And NSF has been a leader in a lot of that. 03:06.000 --> 03:09.000 BURRELL: These are cheek cells. These are squamous epithelial cells, so they… 03:09.000 --> 03:14.000 BURRELL: It’s very good for students to hear not only from me what’s required in the workforce, 03:14.000 --> 03:20.000 but hearing from individuals who are going to employ them what is required so that they can know that, 03:20.000 --> 03:23.000 “This is something I definitely need to pay attention to.” 03:23.500 --> 03:27.000 BURNETT: And I say, “Hey, you know, this is what I’m looking for in a new employee,” 03:27.000 --> 03:31.000 they’ll work through curriculum development to ensure that those people are available. 03:31.000 --> 03:37.000 ANGEL RAMIREZ: We have, um, we’re running small scale, next we got running the [inaudible]… 03:37.000 --> 03:41.000 RAMIREZ: My name’s Angel Ramirez, I’m a bioprocessing technician here at KeraNetics. 03:41.000 --> 03:44.000 If I had a shirt, it’d say “I love my job,” yes. [laughs] 03:45.000 --> 03:53.000 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] 03:53.000 --> 03:58.000 And so, bringing new people into your family is a little bit of a challenge, and he fit in immediately. 03:58.500 --> 04:05.000 READ: The very skilled experience that students need to have is crucial because it means that they’re work-ready. 04:05.000 --> 04:10.000 And I think, at the end of the day, when you think about ATE programs, you think about preparing the skilled technical worker. 04:10.000 --> 04:13.000 That is the formula. 04:13.000 --> 04:21.000 BURRELL: So, if I’m going to be measuring 150 microliters, this is what we should do. 04:21.000 --> 04:29.000 BURRELL: To be able to guide students who come into my doors with very little confidence, very little experience, 04:29.000 --> 04:33.000 and I can see their potential before they even see it themselves. 04:33.000 --> 04:36.000 They graduate, and they do wonderful things. 04:36.000 --> 04:40.000 And that, to me, is one of the most rewarding experiences. 04:40.000 --> 04:45.000 RAMIREZ: I’m very proud of myself. I know it hasn’t been an easy ride to get here, where I am, 04:45.000 --> 04:49.000 but I think that’s how life is, you know? Life is full of roller coasters. 04:49.000 --> 04:54.000 No one knows where you’re going to end up, but I enjoy every single part of my day coming to-, to work. 04:55.000 --> 04:58.000 BURNETT: It takes everyone. It’s an ecosystem – it really is. 04:58.000 --> 05:03.000 And if one cog in that wheel doesn’t work, the whole system doesn’t work. 05:03.000 --> 05:08.000 It’s been rewarding to be a part of this; kind of watch Winston-Salem grow 05:08.000 --> 05:14.000 from an old tobacco and textile town to biotech and high tech and education. 05:15.000 --> 05:20.000 READ: It’s vibrant, and people want to move here, and there’s apartments, and there’s students, and there’s small businesses. 05:20.000 --> 05:25.000 There’s opportunity here, it’s great. It’s a-, it’s a total 180. 05:25.000 --> 05:30.000 [MUSIC]