2020 What a doozy! We want to pause for a moment and reflect on what the year held. The reality is that this past year had its full share of ups and mainly downs for each of us. But we firmly believe that as we look back, there is much to learn and much to be thankful for.

2020 started with much anticipation of wrapping up projects for clients, building our network, and starting new ventures. This all changed in March. We had to shift from working together at the BioVentures Center in Coralville to working remotely. Our team had to reimagine how to stay integrated and connected. Slack, Google Calendars, Google Meet, and email all contributed significantly to our cohesion despite the chaos. We also had to adjust as many of our client’s abilities were shifted, thus impacting our projections. It’s not been easy. We’ve had to juggle our objectives. But throughout the process, we have never lost sight of our aim to provide excellent, personalized, iterative service to each of our clients to help them transform the life sciences. In a previous post, we highlighted a process we created for one client that helped streamline their discoveries and save them time and money as they helped to impact DNA research.

We’re thankful that we were able to survive this season and ultimately thrive despite these challenges. This was exemplified by the fact that even during the pandemic, we could add to our team. In addition, although we initially considered scaling back the internship program we have been running since 2006 (for what would have been the first time), we found suitable candidates and opportunities to move ahead. Over the summer, we had three interns join the team to complement our efforts: two in software and one in business development. Then, in September, we expanded our software team with two new entry-level developers and two new business development assistants! They have each displayed a willingness to learn, contribute and offer insight.

This season, we’ve also been thankful for our client’s successes. One prime example of success despite this environment is the Classroom Clinic startup which has found success through some of the relief funding the state of Iowa had allocated to help groups engaged in mental health-related work. The Classroom Clinic founder, Sue Gehling, has been working tirelessly toward making mental health care readily available for students in rural areas. This grant funding has accelerated her progress. We are excited to see how her work will better serve students across our state!

So, what lies ahead? Of course, none of us know. But we are hopeful that we will be able to continue to grow our company as we provide exceptional service to each of our clients. If we can be a part of that or if you have questions about your next project, give us a call or Contact us through our web form — we’d love to hear about where your team is going and how we might be able to help get you there! And, as always, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn - see you there with our next post! We hope you all made it through 2020 safely and are looking forward to a better 2021 as much as we are.