To receive additional information, please contact:
Robert G. Lowery
President
BellBrook Labs, LLC
608-441-2966
bob.lowery@bellbrook-labs.com
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
MADISON, June 8, 2004 – BellBrook Labs is proud to announce the formation of
a new business advisory board with Nicholas J. Seay, Ralph Kauten, and Corey
Chambas as its initial members.
“With the establishment of our board, BellBrook Labs is very pleased to be
gaining the expertise and guidance needed to insure a successful transition
from R&D to commercialization of our first technology platform,” stated
Robert G. Lowery, President of BellBrook Labs, LLC. “In addition to
providing tremendous depth in business experience, Ralph, Nick, and Corey
share our excitement about accelerating the discovery of more effective
treatments for cancer and other diseases.”
Nicholas J. Seay is Partner at Quarles & Brady, LLP. He practices in the
area of intellectual property and related business transactions. He has
extensive experience in patents and licensing, concentrating in
biotechnology, also in electronics, technology and software, and in related
intellectual property litigation. In his accomplishments, Seay has: filed
and prosecuted to issuance some of the earliest patents on transgenic
plants; filed and prosecuted a patent portfolio on the pioneering work on
human embryonic stem cells; enabled due diligence effort and negotiated the
intellectual property provisions of the largest Wisconsin-based
biotechnology business transaction to date. He has worked with several local
technology companies including Agracetus, Novagen, Nutra-Park, NimbleGen,
Opgen, Ultratec and Epic and with research institutions, most notably WARF.
Ralph Kauten is President and CEO of Quintessence Biosciences, Inc. Mr.
Kauten’s record includes being recognized by Ernst & Young as Entrepreneur
of the Year for his role in founding and managing PanVera Corporation which
grew from a start up in 1992 with paid in capital of $4 million to a highly
profitable drug discovery company with $20 million in revenue. In addition,
Mr. Kauten served a key role in the founding and management of Promega
Corporation. Starting in 1979, Mr. Kauten provided leadership in crafting
financing and business strategies that led Promega from a start-up with
contributed capital of $2.4 million into a company that currently employs
over 700 people and has annual revenue in excess of $140 million.
Corey Chambas is President and CEO of First Business Bank. He has worked in
the commercial banking industry for 20 years, specializing in cash
management and commercial lending. A graduate from the University of
Wisconsin, he has also completed several advanced commercial lending
programs including those of Darden (University of Virginia) and Kellogg
(Northwestern University). Corey serves as Executive Vice President and
director of First Business Financial Services, Inc., a director of First
Business Bank, a director of First Business Capital Corp., a board member
and treasurer of Independent Living, Inc., the treasurer of the Madison Area
Youth Soccer Association, the Chair of the New Accounts Division of the
United Way Campaign Cabinet, a member of Madison Breakfast Rotary, and
President of the board of the Foundation for Dane County Transition Schools.
In 2003, Chambas was presented with North*Western Financial Review’s ‘Rising
Star’ award in recognition for his outstanding industry accomplishments and
community involvement.
About BellBrook Labs
Dr. Robert Lowery and Mr. John Majer founded BellBrook Labs LLC, in August
of 2002 to take advantage of the rapidly growing demand for screening
reagents used by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in the initial
stages of drug discovery. From a biological perspective, BellBrook Labs is
focused on breast cancer, but their technologies and products will find wide
use across many disease areas. The company has been funded to date by $1.4M
in federal SBIR awards and a $250,000 Technology Development Loan from the
Wisconsin Department of Commerce. They are commercializing a proprietary
screening platform this year and are currently initiating their first round
of private financing. For additional information on BellBrook Labs, please
call 608-441-2966.
