Speech and Testimony
County Executive Leggett’s Remarks at the BioMedical Innovation Roundtable Forum
As prepared
Good morning.
This is an impressive group we have here this morning, and I am honored to be part of this forum.
I am also pleased because this forum represents the best of what public-private partnerships can do for our County.
We want you to have a voice in designing the proposed set of programs and physical attributes of this project, including its collaborations with preeminent international biomedical and biotechnological enterprises.
We want the project built so it can be built to represent a “value-add” proposition for everyone involved – the private sector, Montgomery County, and the Federal government and the state.
You can see that interest by representatives from those here today.
The project is very important to our economic development efforts on the Eastern side of the County.
That’s why I was pleased that the former LifeSci Village has been renamed Viva White Oak.
With that one change, the project goes takes on a geographical identity, with the name White Oak, yet retains the life sciences identity by using Viva.
The introduction of this new name marks another exciting step forward, as we prepare soon to move beyond planning and into the development phase.
Viva White Oak will transform and bring thousands of high-quality jobs and tremendous amenities to the East County, an area that will benefit greatly from the extra attention and care that will come its way.
The beauty of this effort is not simply that we are helping out Montgomery County.
This will be a boon for private industry. It will be a magnet for the best and brightest companies and individuals to come here to work in one of the most exciting sectors of our economy.
To borrow a phrase from your agenda for today, we will build a “world-renowned ecosystem for biomedical innovation and commercialization.”
We will also build a vibrant community for people to live in, work in and play in.
That’s why your discussions over the next couple of days are so important.
We want your ideas and suggestions so that the evolving development reflects your priorities and meets your needs.
Thank you for participating. I look forward to hearing the results of your meetings.
Monday, October 26, 2015, 8:30 a.m.
United Therapeutics Headquarters, 1104 Spring Street, Silver Spring