Public Opinion On BSMA Conferences

2017 BSMA Testimonials – Read what they are saying….

“I really thought the interaction and engagement of the audience was strong, Dave you did a great job of stimulating the audience with perspective, questions, and out of the box questions and challenges to the pharma industry to think differently.  Innovation is a high motivator and getting senior leadership on board with it is critical and that seemed to be a clear theme at the conference.” ~ Tim Moore, Executive Vice President, Technical Operations, Kite Pharma

“Thank you for putting on another successful BSMA.  The award and recognition is greatly appreciated.  It was a special thrill for me to accept on behalf of all at Envirotainer that contributed.  The content and attendees again delivered on the high level that is required to set BSMA apart, and the message will be carried back to my HQ in Sweden of the nice momentum and full wind in our sails.  Please continue to include us in future sponsorship opportunities on the expanding global programs, as at the very least I know we will be there with you in Hyderbad, and if I have anything to say about it, Envirotainer will continue to be innovative in this space and a strong partner with BSMA.” ~ Douglas Wettergren, Global Key Account Manager, Envirotainer Inc

“The conference was full of energy this year. Over 200 attendees and thought provoking mix of company success stories, expert panel discussions, and wonderful networking. Lets keep driving focused on our mission of growing the supply chain excellence in the Biotech industry.   We need to balance catering to larger companies and supporting those companies that are just developing their supply chain expertise.” ~ Kevin Pegels, Vice President, Global Supply Chain, Illumina

“The conference was remarkably open and geared towards sharing best known methods, something I have not observed in other parts of silicon valley. I found the Kite cell therapy key note very innovative and invigorating. I was also impressed that the supply chain is centered within the USA .  In the semiconductor space as you know since the last 2 decades much of the cutting edge manufacturing has gone to Asia. This is a serious issue for the USA for without having manufacturing next to you, you cannot do great development. I love the mission of the alliance which is centered on strategy, innovation and global community all for improving health and finding cures for patients.” ~ Suresh Sachdev

“What you’ve accomplished with the BSMA and the relevance of  the topics and breakthrough pathways  you promote is of considerable significance. It takes not only a deep acumen of the industry  trend, but also a keen sense of the impact of those novel approaches, with close  interdependency between  hospital sites, complex logistics  and  unique cell therapy Manufacturing process. Thank you for spreading awareness in such timely and engaging way.” ~ Marina Kreculj, Director of Sourcing and Procurement, Kite Pharma, a Gilead Science Company

“As biopharmaceutical process engineers-in-training at KGI, most of us are only exposed to the R&D, process development, quality and regulatory features of the industry. I’m sure that the other BSMA conference attendees in my cohort would agree that the experience has really opened our eyes to the supply chain aspect of the biotech industry. The supply chain was something we took for granted and therefore overlooked, but clearly it is one of the most important aspects of the industry. Simply put, the supply chain is the bridge to the people that the industry serves.” ~ Swetha Prabhakaran, Master of Mechanical Engineering, Keck Graduate Institute

“Attending this conference allowed me to understand the capacity of supply chain, and it gave me homework to research further. In addition, I networked with individuals from various companies that can assist in guiding my thought process as I apply supply chain to my master’s design project this year. Ensuring patients receive the life-saving medications they need on time without damaging the viability of the product is of the utmost importance. The BSMA conference provided a new piece to the puzzle of how to ultimately put the patient first. I would certainly consider attending more conferences hosted by the BSMA committee. “ ~ Nancy Matti, Master of Engineering, Biopharmaceutical Processing 2018, Keck Graduate Institute

“As a student in the Master of Engineering in Bioprocessing program at Keck Graduate Institute, I had mostly learned about pharmaceutical manufacturing and bioreactors and my understanding in the supply chain was limited, so the BSMA conference was an entirely new experience for me. The professional but relaxing atmosphere was an optimal environment for me to network and learn from experts in the field. Throughout the day, the BSMA conference helped me learn more about supply chain logistics. Whether it was cell transportation, supplier management, or IT systems for record keeping, the conference included many sessions from distinguished speakers about the latest trends in the industry. “ ~ Wincy Yu, Meng Student, Keck Graduate Institute

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2016 BSMA Testimonials – Read what they are saying….

“Your full day was impressive.  Heard a great many robust compliments on the meaty nature of discussion, ideas presented and audience interaction.” ~ Michele Carroll, President, CSCMP SF Roundtable, and President, Carrollco Marketing Services

“Congratulations on an exceptional meeting. You and your team have truly created a special high-quality industry event and I am very pleased to be associated with it.  I look forward to working more closely with BSMA going forward.” ~ Michelle Nemits, Director of Business Development, Biocom Purchasing Group, BIOCOM

 “Thanks for organizing such a great and insightful conference.” ~ Shankar Iyer, Director, Health Industries Advisory, PwC

“It was a really successful event – I really enjoyed our panel, so thank you for including us!” ~ Susanne Somerville. Founder & principal, TheLinkLab

“I wish to congratulate you for the quality of the presentations.” ~ Alex Guillen, Director, Global Cold chain, Fisher Clinical Services

“I liked the flow of the conference and enjoyed my panel participation…probably my favorite topic yet.” ~ Paul Seaback, Vice President, Global Supply Chain, Gilead Sciences

“It was heartening to see so many of the attendees speak so highly of what you have accomplished for the Global Supply Chain space over the years and be their voice to enhance awareness and support for this critical part of product development – to ensure that the ailing patient gets the treatment they need and that it would cure in the way that it was designed to do.” ~ Ravi Kiron, CEO, BIOPHARMA STRATEGY

“Always interesting conference with similar yet new twists. It covers the big data and technology applications on the bio supply chain, which I like most. Thanks for organizing.” ~ Jim Peyton, Associate Director, Supply Chain, Gilead Science

“I am really impressed by the program and the potential to help companies like us. I would love to continue participating in these forums in future and involve my senior management at the right time.” ~ Rohit Saini, Head of Supply Chain, Guardant Health

“The State of Logistics Report was outstanding and better than I have seen before. Your grasp of the subject and ability to identify the Hot Topics made it very informative and in some cases a welcome call to action.” ~ Mark Buck, Global Supply Chain and Procurement Leader, >Bio-Rad Laboratories

“My second BSMA conference was truly a wonderful learning and network experience.” ~ Rex Ryan Magadia, SCM Graduate Student, GGU

“You, Horacio Enriquez and Franck Toussaint, are the future of our group and I was totally captivated by your grasp of the situations at hand and how companies should embrace for these coming challenges and opportunities of BREXIT. Please continue involving yourself in BSMA and CSCMP where possible to better our organizations with talented people like you!” ~ Mark Buck, Global Supply Chain and Procurement Leader, Bio-Rad Laboratories

“First meeting in the morning was the most attractive, it gives us the overall concept of Supply Chain; great presentations with dynamic pictures and slides; panel discussions are interesting, because it’s very interactive.” ~ Agustin Garcia (APICS)

 “I like the PLM material shipment relationship presentation most in the event; the keynotes and panels are very interactive, which give me good insights of Supply Chain from different perspectives, such as suppliers, vendors, and engineers” ~ Susan Isbell (Merck)

 “The meetings are informative; discussions of Panels are very interactive;  this meeting has been the biggest BSMA meeting than ever, which gives us more chances for connecting people in this industry; the meetings also give us up-to-date information from different perspectives by covering all the important topics in the bio supply chain” ~ Mike Zojaji (Bayer)

“Builds up more new connections, and get chances to know more vendors” ~ Basil Paris (TraceLink)

“Most interested in the logistics part discussions; want to extend the meeting to 2 days” ~ Wanda Lee (Illumina)

 “I like the segmented meetings in the afternoon with different interesting topics; the meeting talks about the environmental issues too, which are good” ~ Bobbie McClan (Envirotainer)

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2015 BSMA Testimonials – Read what they are saying….

“This year’s conference was the best BSMA event that I have attended. The morning presentations were very engaging and thought provoking.    The CSCMP linkage was a great idea.  The afternoon tracks provided good detail for those that desired to go deep on certain topics.  The overall attendance set a record.”…Kevin Pegels, Vice President, Global Supply Chain Management – PS Biotech, Bayer Healthcare

“I too thought the conference was one of the best I have EVER been to! The conference was well organized, the speakers and their material were relevant, researched, and of importance to me, and many others with whom I spoke. There was an air off excitement, especially from the opening presentation by Ms. Cashin. Seeing former co-workers, clients, and a number of targeted clients, was money and time, well spent!“…Lawrence E. (Larry) Feirman – Director, Client Solutions, UTi

 “First, thank you for the support and opportunity to share some of our work at the BSMA forum. It was a lively and practical discussion and hopefully we were able to add value and perspective.”…Carl Finamore, Director, Healthcare Operations, PwC Consulting

“I must say, your staff was outstanding, real professionals. I look forward to a long and mutually beneficial a partnership. I know we can bring value and I’m sure you can to us!”…Rick Blasgen, President and CEO, CSCMP

“Thanks to your leadership and your kind heart that you make so many people welcome and give them the tools to succeed. It has been a great association with you over the last a few years as a great mentor, coach and guide to help me in leading the cold chain effort. I express my sincere gratitude at how this year’s conference was a resounding success in terms of quality of people and content.”…Vishal Singal, Principal Consulting, IMS

“I want to express my congratulations to all of you for an excellent conference. I spoke to a lot of participants and sponsors – they were very pleased. By far, this has been the best one!!!”…Dave Malenfant, EVP, Industry Liaison, BSMA

“The duration of the event was very good.  Many conferences are 3-5 days long and it is difficult to commit to that period of time for most people.  I think the more you reach out to east coast potential participants the more your conference will grow since most of the Pharma is out there.  I do know that Alyssa from Shire felt the event was great and I’m sure she will spread the word, as will Clinapps.”…Michelle Niles, Director, Business Development, CLINapps

 “I would welcome the opportunity to be involved with a dynamic and forward thinking industry/group. Ms. Cashin’ excitement and clarity about the present and the future made me a convert.”…Lawrence E. (Larry) Feirman, Director, Client Solutions, UTi

“The conference provided a unique opportunity to remain in touch with trends and challenges of today’s biotechnology supply chains and to exchange thoughts on preparing the biotech industry for 2025. All sessions and tracks were of highest value and relevance. I was especially pleased with the Talent & Career Development for Young Professionals workshop. Our APICS group found the questions asked during both presentations and discussions to be very enlightening. It was really impressive to be able to meet and listen to the expert speakers and panelists – a very knowledgeable, fun and friendly group of people. Prominent industry specialists, absolute “biotech think-tank” by all standards.”…Bozidar Orlovic, Director of Programs and Tours, APICS SCVC 

“It was an absolute pleasure attending my first BSMA conference and participating on the panel with my knowledgeable and interesting fellow panelists. I have to say that this is one of the best conferences I have been to all year and hats off to you for organizing this memorable event. Given the quality of the program I am sure this event will grow exponentially in the coming years. I look forward to seeing you again.”…Marsha Davis, Product Marketing Director (Clinical Trials), Sensitech

“We thought the event certainly met our expectations and we expect to participate again next year!“…Doug Iredale, VP Business Development, Softbox Systems Inc.

 “Thank you and your team for hosting such a fantastic event and providing us with a great opportunity.  We look forward to working with you and the BSMA to continue to advance the foundation we laid.”…Rich Kilmer, President and CEO, CargoSense 

“Each member of our KGI team only had great things to say about the sessions, so thank you again for providing such a great opportunity for us to learn and meet others.  I hope that KGI and BSMA can find many ways to collaborate in the future.”…William Su, Student, KGI

“Thank you again for making the connection to the students. I have spoken to most of them and they were really ‘thrilled’ by their participation and I know from teaching them that is hard to do.”…Richard Dawe, Director of Operations & Supply Chain Management Program & the Center of Operations Management, Golden Gate University

“It was a good experience overall. It was great to interact with other folks from the industry and connect with a few prospects as well.” …Bobbie McClain, Strategic Account Manager, Envirotainer.

“Great event, not only with content but for networking.  A lot of the success and intimacy of BSMA events is the type of people that attend and the nice diversity.  I did like the academic feel and inclusion of students / young supply chain professionals. I really enjoyed the round-table seating for the key notes in the morning and then the three track options in the afternoon.  Well organized and attendees seemed to move through the hallway and into the rooms. Overall, very successful and event we already have on the Marketing calendar for 2016.”…Brian Cooper, Head of Healthcare Sales, Envirotainer

“This was our seventh year attending the BSMA fall event and this was by far the largest one in terms of delegate attendance.  It is nice to see the interest grow as this is my most valued and favorite industry show of the season.  BSMA sets the bar as the best opportunity to network with executive level decision makers in the Biotech industry.”…Douglas Wettergren, Key Account Manager, Envirotainer

“BSMA conference, I would say was a day well spent with amazing knowledge sharing. We all had an opportunity to involve in productive and constructive interactions. All of the presentations offered a real time look into the topics and gave expert opinions from the industry.  The presentation on “Meeting Challenges in Today’s Global Supply Chains: A Personal Road Map” by Rick Blasgen gave a broad look at the current and future challenges to the issues prevalent in supply chain. Panel discussions were such an added value to the conference by providing deeper insight into the topics discussed with simultaneous interactions between the panelists and the audience. As a student, I could interact with people from different levels of the organization and share my thoughts with them. The conference gave me a platform to put across my questions and discuss my concerns related to supply chain field. Attending this conference also helped me answer some of the key questions related to my career in supply chain. The workshop on “Mapping your own career path in SCM” is an efficient meeting with great facilitators who provided helpful career advices to most of us. In a nutshell, I would describe BSMA conference in four words where one can LEARN, NETWORK, SHARE and CREATE VALUE.“…Bhargavi Kapuganti, Global Supply Chain Management Student from Golden Gate University

“Widely attended and well run, the BSMA conference continues to foster knowledge sharing for the collaborative advancement of the pharmaceutical supply chain and its professionals.  The BSMA program offers both supply chain rookies and seasoned industry professionals the opportunity to learn from top tier executives and experts.  I always leave with new insight.  We, at ALMAC, are proud to support BSMA.” …Luke Moyer, Supply Chain Solution Manager, Almac Clinical Services

“The Bio Tech Supply Management Conference represented an excellent source of information regarding the industry, and as the same time it was a meeting in where professionals of Supply Chain shared their advices. In my case, I took the recommendations of understanding the customer to tailor the supply chain, and therefore optimize the structure of the supply chain. I found very interesting the Young Professionals in Supply Chain Workshop because the panelists were mixing theoretical concepts with their experience at work, we learnt how young professionals have to combine intellectual and emotional skills. We have to know our field of work including fundamentals systems, interpretation of graphics, etc. On the other hand, leadership skills were very emphasized, create interpersonal relations through communication, presence and creativity. Communication was taken as an important skill to young professionals and part of this became in a way to improve our knowledge, for instance, we can take some classes, read books, develop relationships with mentors, being guided by our supervisors or ask for feedback from peers or direct from reports to measure how good we are doing the job. We heard that everyone has up and downs in their careers, shown as a zigzag pattern, and that sometimes is better to go backwards in order to move forward and do not get stuck. To have communication, motivation, do not have fear in delegating tasks, creativity, to trust in colleagues, flexibility and commitment are the perfect match to build professionals for the current market. Undoubtedly excellent lectures and advises to improve our performance in our careers.”… Oscar Monroy, MBA Student, Golden Gate University

“After making some new connections and hearing speakers discuss a gamut of topics from innovations in genomics to cold chain management to clinical supply chain planning, I could not shake the feeling that I had stepped in at the proverbial ground zero. I derived the most value from the young professional’s workshop. Hearing from seasoned veterans from Intel and Bayer regarding tips and skills needed to further develop my own career was an invaluable experience.”…Rex Magadia, MBA Student, Golden Gate University

“Our young professional workshop was the foundation to build upon the notion that each person working in supply chain has the opportunity to advance and chose a very rewarding career path. We tried to demonstrate the challenges that we all faced during our career as we advanced. Hopefully, the young professionals have learned that you career is very much dictated on your behavior and your learning agility. There is a great need to understand your personal “SWOTs” (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) as you develop your career path and the various positions that you aspire for.  – BSMA will build upon this momentum in 2016”…Dave Malenfant, Executive Vice President, Industry Liaison, BSMA

“We were thoroughly impressed at the amount of interaction and the overall collaborative spirit at this year’s BSMA. This was our first year attending as an exhibitor, and we plan on participating next year as well.”…Joseph Castellanos, Business Development Manager, Softbox Systems Inc.