Another contributing factor is the commitment Ohio has made to the state's bioscience industry. A decision made more than a decade ago that is making an impact locally, nationally and globally. The bioscience industry is Ohio's fastest-growing industry in virtually all ways, according to Anthony Dennis, president and CEO of BioOhio, the state's economic development agency for biosciences. "Every year, our bioscience companies and research institutions create jobs, export products and services, and deliver game-changing treatments to the marketplace and, most importantly, to patients", said Dennis.

That success is spilling over into Ohio universities with the number of bioscience undergraduates on the rise. Its vast number of higher education opportunities bolsters Ohio's bioscience strength. Two-year, four-year, graduate and advanced degree programs produce an education and workforce pipeline necessary to build a bioscience organization, and to grow Ohio's bioscience industry into an international leader.

Each day, Ohio bioscience organizations contribute to technological advances benefiting the health and well-being of Ohioans, Americans and the citizens of the world. Emerging in the Columbus area recently were Ohio State University spinout company Nanofiber Solutions and Scotland-based advanced prosthetics maker Touch Bionics. Both companies have made global headlines with their innovative advances. In November 2011, Nanofiber Solutions played a key role in the world's second successful synthetic trachea transplant. The Columbus firm designed and built the nanofiber tracheal scaffold in which a cancer patient's own stem cells were grown before the transplantation on November 17th in Stockholm. 30-year-old, Christopher Lyles, from Baltimore, Maryland is making a good recovery. "It is an honor to contribute to this life-saving procedure," Nanofiber Solutions CEO Ross Kayuha said. "Successfully implanting a synthetic trachea using a patient's own stem cells is a significant milestone for regenerative medicine."

Read today's press release for more about the rise of bioscience graduates in Ohio.

Many small businesses never progress beyond the survival stage, earning marginal returns on invested time and capital and closing up shop when the owner retires or simply pulls the plug. Those businesses that do progress to the success stage enter into a whole new world of opportunities, but it’s one accompanied by significant challenges and tough choices.

At this point in their existence, companies often face the prospect of revenues and profits from their initial customer base that are insufficient to support further growth. Businesses must expand their universe of customers, which means entering unchartered territory in terms of new markets, new channels, new products/services, new types of customers, or some combination of those elements.

Read the case study below about how Diagnostic HYBRIDS, Inc. expanded with the support of resources in Ohio's Enterprise Appalachia.

Partnering with another successful company is often the best way for a fast-growing “gazelle”— company—one that grows at an annual rate of 20% or more—to achieve the next level of performance, and that’s just what Diagnostic HYBRIDS, Inc. (DHI) did. Like most biotechnology startups, Athens, Ohio-based DHI had a long gestation period. Founded in 1983, the company was in existence for 10 years before it launched its first marketable product. It was able to survive as a fledgling enterprise with about a dozen employees during that early period thanks to the care, nurturing and support it received as part of the Ohio University community where it was founded, president David Scholl said in a 2009 interview with hiVelocityMedia.com, an online magazine focused on Ohio’s transitioning economy.

Its relationship with Ohio University continued to play an important role through DHI’s first two decades of existence. In 2000, for example, the company partnered with the university on a $1 million grant from the Ohio Third Frontier’s Action Fund, helping to lure a prominent scientist to the team. DHI really began to hit its growth stride about five years ago; it was named one of the 500 fastest-growing companies in America by Inc. magazine in 2004 and 2005 and it posted a 75% increase in jobs—to about 225 employees—between 2005 and 2009. Ultimately, it developed into a market leader in manufacturing and commercializing direct fluorescent in vitro diagnostic assays used in medical laboratories for a variety of diseases, including viral respiratory infections, herpes and thyroid diseases.

With 2009 sales of $51 million, up 34% over the previous year, it became clear that the company needed a new strategy to support its burgeoning growth. It had all the elements of a true gazelle enterprise in place, including control of its overhead cost structure and historical sales performance to support projections of future demand for its products. DHI’s leadership team decided merging with an appropriate partner was the most efficient way to go, and it found one in Quidel Corporation, a San Diego-based company that is a market leader in rapid point-of-care diagnostic tests. Quidel completed its acquisition of DHI in January, 2010, for about $130 million in cash. DHI continues to operate as a separate subsidiary of Quidel, with Scholl remaining as president.

“Quidel is a synergistic and cultural fit for Diagnostic HYBRIDS, and this transaction presents us with an excellent opportunity to have a larger presence in our markets and to leverage key aspects of our research and development teams to accelerate product development,” Scholl said in a February 19, 2010, joint press release with Quidel announcing the deal. “Our combined organization will have greater channel strength, and together we will provide our customers a full-service offering of best-in-class diagnostic products.”

Ohio's bioscience industry expertise and collaboration, along with an established bioscience supply chain spanning research and development to commercialization, creates the ideal location in the U.S. to establish, grow or expand a bioscience business. According to the latest industry growth report from BioOhio, Ohio is home to 1,345 bioscience entities in operation throughout the state from Fortune 500 public companies to incubating start-ups. This concentration of bioscience companies is proof of Ohio's commitment to establishing an international leadership role in the bioscience industry to help companies find innovative and cost-effective solutions to scientific challenges.

From 2004 to 2010, Ohio attracted 413 new or relocated companies focused on bioscience and bioproducts - an average of 59 each year. Recent examples include Mammotome, Cleveland HeartLab, Accord Biomaterials, and Nanofiber Solutions. In addition, more than 1,000 other organizations provide supplies and services, creating a rich bioscience supply chain and service system that sustains growth of both new and established businesses.

Bioscience companies located in Ohio benefit from the state's central location supported by a world-class logistics infrastructure to get components and finished goods quickly to their destination anywhere in the U.S. or around the globe. Ohio is within 600 miles of 60 percent of the U.S. and Canadian population and is within a one-day drive of 70 percent of North America's manufacturing capacity.

Abundant access to capital through private sources and state programs, such as Ohio Third Frontier, has fueled the growth of Ohio's bioscience industry. Overall, more than $2.4 billion was invested in 2010 across Ohio to accelerate bioscience growth.

The state of Ohio's higher education system is committed to meeting the workforce and talent development needs of the bioscience industry with 103 Ohio institutions awarding a bioscience-related degree or certificate. Ohio's bioscience industry has seen a 19.5 percent employment increase in the last decade and directly employs more than 62,500 workers. In addition, BioOhio and its partners received a $5,000,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor in March 2010 to implement a jobs training program to help meet the needs of Ohio's growing bioscience industry. Ohio's robust clinical network and prominent medical reputation make it an ideal testing environment for biomedical innovations. Ohio hosts nearly 17 percent of all clinical trials conducted in the nation.

Learn more about Ohio's Ideal environment to bring innovative and cost-effective solutions for biosciences.

That's why Ohio is the perfect location for Girindus, a technology-driven company creating solutions for the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.

Ohio's extensive university system delivers to Dr. Laskovics the high-tech talent he needs. He knows that Ohio's reasonable cost of living and easy lifestyle keep career-minded scientists and specialists here in the state. Once they land here, highly skilled workers embrace a work-life balance found nowhere else.

And Ohio's supportive business climate has been instrumental in the company's growth. A $1.2 million Ohio Third Frontier grant enabled Girindus to build a production facility for a unique class of compounds.Tax abatements and grant possibilities through local government helped lay the foundation for the company's success.

Dr. Laskovics relishes the relaxed pace and focus on family in Ohio. He is free to enjoy a range of leisure activities, from biking along the network of trails in southwest Ohio to attending major league sporting events.

After living all over the world, Dr. Laskovics has constructed his dream team in Ohio's business-friendly environment, capitalizing on the state's many assets. Watch this video as he discusses Ohio's bioscience strengths and how he and his employees have found the perfect work-life balance.

That's why Ohio is the perfect location for Girindus, a technology-driven company creating solutions for the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Watch this video to learn more.