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Press Release

Gerlach to speak at CED's 18th Annual Biotech Conference

February 13, 2009

Conference to be held February 16 and 17

Raleigh Convention Center

Dan Gerlach, President of the Golden LEAF Foundation, will join biotech and governmental officials to speak at CED's 18th annual Biotech Conference on February 17 at the Raleigh Convention Center in Raleigh.

The February 16th and 17th conference unites the Southeast's life science community to celebrate one of the biotech industry's most dynamic regions, according to the Council for Entrepreneurial Development’s website. The conference includes world-class speakers, a variety of panels on industry topics and trends, and networking opportunities with life science leaders.

Gerlach will be a panelist for the "Agricultural Biotechnology Can Grown Everywhere" discussion on February 17th at 11:30 a.m. He will join moderators the Honorable James B. Hunt, Jr., former Governor of North Carolina and Attorney at Law, Womble, Carlyle, Sandridge & Rice PLLC, and W. Steven Burke, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs, North Carolina Biotechnology Center and Acting President, Biofuels Center of NC; panelists Cheryl S. McMurry, J.D., M.P.A., President, Bent Creek Institute; the Honorable Steve W. Troxler, Commissioner, North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; Eric R. Ward, Ph.D., CEO, Cropsolution, Inc. The discussion will be introduced by the Honorable Walter Dalton, Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina.

Since 2003, Golden LEAF has invested over $75 million in grant awards for projects that train North Carolinians for jobs in the expanding biomanufacturing and pharmaceutical manufacturing industries, attract biomanufacturing and pharmaceutical manufacturing jobs to North Carolina communities, and research North Carolina crops and methods to expand the state’s potential for biofuel production. The Foundation is a partner in developing North Carolina’s biomanufacturing workforce and supports the following statewide initiatives: Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC) at North Carolina State University, Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise (BRITE) at North Carolina Central University, and BioNetwork through the North Carolina Community College System.

To learn more about the conference or to register, visit http://www.cednc.org/conferences/biotech/2009/.