Bryan Renk, 49, comes from good stock. The new executive director of BioForward, the state trade organization for the biotech and medical device fields, was born into the family business, the William F. Renk & Sons Seed Company in Sun Prairie. His great grandfather William was an early Secretary of Agriculture for the state of Wisconsin. His great uncles Wilbur and Walter sat on the Board of Regents, and Wilbur was one of the founders of the World Dairy Expo in Madison. Now, a generation later, Bryan Renk is busy forging his own path.
Renk’s childhood memories center around seed, cattle, and getting dirt under his fingernails. When he was just eight years old, he and his brother would hand-weed a seed corn plot until their arms “nearly fell off.”
Though it was his first paid job, it may have been the impetus to an early decision: Renk didnÃÂt want anything to do with seeds.
“My dad ran a feed lot at the seed company, with a capacity of about 2,500 head,” he said. In fact, he said it was one of the largest feed lots in southern Wisconsin at the time. “Animals were just more appealing [to work with],” though there were challenges. “We were around 10,12 years old, and weighed maybe 80 to 100 pounds. A market-weight steer was about 1,200 pounds. When you’re at eye-level with a market-weight steer, it’s kind of scary,” he chuckled.
As Renk approached adulthood, his father, saying the family didn’t need a “glorified cattle jockey,” urged his son to pursue an MBA in college, but Renk didn’t bite. Instead, he earned a B.S. in Animal Science from the UW, then graduated with a Masters of Science in Meat and Animal Science/Muscle Biology in 1985. Sadly, his father died in a farm accident a year later.
Renk worked in the family seed business for 10 years, but left in 1995, just as the family began formulating a fourth generation succession plan. “I just decided it wouldn’t work for me,” he said, though he credits his other family members for working things out. “[Generational transfers] become more and more difficult,” he said, saying he’s very pleased that the company is still going strong.
Renk joined WARF in 1995 as licensing manager in the agriculture and biotechnology fields, where he had a front-row seat to James Thomson’s early work on human embryonic stem cells. He stayed for 10 years before being recruited to lead aOva Technologies in Madison, a biotech company that develops a high-tech feed ingredient promoting animal growth and feed conversion. He remained there until moving to BioForward on October 1, 2009.
“What drew me to BioForward is my history. This is a good fit,” he said, adding that Wisconsin has so much high-tech potential. “So many industries now use biotech,” he said. “Plus, large companies are coming in and purchasing our local companies, or even relocating here — companies like Danisco, Roche, Cardinal Health, and Genzyme,” he said. Every time that occurs, the state’s high tech industry gets a shot in the arm.
Biotech is not recession-proof, he cautioned. “Young start ups are really tightening their belts to make sure they can survive and get the funding they need.” But positive stories also exist, with established companies continuing to hire and finding financing. “Once this sector gets through this economy, they’ll be in great shape.”
Meanwhile, Renk and his wife Mary are busy raising their own three seedlings, sons (19, 17, and 14) who have all held summer jobs at Renk Seeds. “They all know the history,” he said. “They have to apply for the jobs and work hard.”
In his new position, Renk plans to increase BioForward’s membership beyond its current 270 by becoming more inclusive of companies statewide. He’s especially looking forward to serving as the industry’s political advocate, and all the while keeping his fingernails clean.
In his free time, Renk enjoys playing pick-up basketball, fishing, and hunting for pheasants and grouse with his bird-dog, Rosie.
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