F O AR EN YE M E TH
Winter 2024
Life at BioBridge Global
SPECIAL EDITION
A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR This first edition of Heart to Heart in our 50th anniversary year is a look at our origins as an organization and how we have progressed since that cool and cloudy day in January 1974 when our own founding fathers worked out an agreement to establish a local blood bank in San Antonio. Part of that look back is this retro – and expanded – edition of your quarterly employee magazine. It starts with the cover, which is an homage to the Time magazine annual “Man of the Year” (eventually changed to “Person of the Year”) feature. Our honorees – who also are featured inside this edition – are Dr. Norman D. Kalmin, who served as Chief Executive Officer for 27 years, and Joe V. Garcia Jr., who was our first employee and was with the organization for its first three decades. This edition also includes “Our Story,” a look back and how we got started and how we got to where we are today. We have profiles of Dr. Robert Gossett, our first chairman, as well as Barbara Shimkus, the world-renowned graphic artist Our ‘Men of the Year,’ Dr. Norman Kalmin and who designed our iconic double Joe V. Garcia Jr. hearts, and Irma Villarreal, currently our longest-tenured employee. This special golden anniversary Heart to Heart would not have been possible without hours and hours of grueling research and interviews by Angelica Sandoval and Amanda Lozano from the Corporate Communications team. Special thanks to the genealogy desk at the San Antonio Public Library and the library at the Bexar County Medical Society for help with some particularly tough topics. Special thanks go to Joe V. Garcia Jr., who kept a scrapbook of newspaper clippings about the blood business dating to the 1960s. “Joe’s Book” was an invaluable source of information and background throughout our research, and it’s a big part of his lasting legacy. David King
INDEX Coming Up in 2024_____20 Cover Story: Dr. Norman Kalmin_____14-15
Graphic Designer: Barbara Shimkus_____16-17
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Martin Landon EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR COMMUNITY AFFAIRS Mary Uhlig EDITOR David King CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS STAFF Isabel Campos, Roberto Esquivel, Matthew Flores, Amanda Lozano, Angelica Sandoval, Jillian VanDamme Published by Corporate Communications, BioBridge Global, 6211 IH 10 West, San Antonio, TX 78201. Reproduction in any manner in whole or in part is prohibited without the express written consent of the editor.
Our Core Values
Accountability: Do our part to achieve BBG’s growth and success Stewardship: Serve others selflessly and responsibly Pioneer: Create and deliver innovative products and services Integrity: Build unity and trust by doing the right thing Respect: Treat all with dignity and kindness Excellence: Surpass team, customer, and community expectations
Our Vision Statement
To be a global leader in human cellular services
Our Mission Statement
To save and enhance lives through the healing power of human cells and tissue
HR Talent Talk_____21-23
Cover Story: Joe V. Garcia Jr.___12-13 Our History_____4-9 Founder: Dr. Robert Gossett_____10-11 Profile: Irma Villarreal_____18-19 From the Corner Office_____3
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A quarterly magazine for team members of BioBridge Global
BIOBRIDGE GLOBAL | HEART TO HEART | WINTER 2024
The cover: Dr. Norman Kalmin and Joe V. Garcia Jr., artwork by Roberto Esquivel.
FROM THE CORNER OFFICE |
HAPPY 50TH ANNIVERSARY! We made it! This year of 2024 will mark our 50th year of lifesaving service to South Texas and our ever-growing community.
millionth unit of blood from our community of donors, which conservatively means that we’ve helped an average of more than 200,000 patients per year for the last 50 years!
As I’ve been thinking about what this means, I see a cool CHALLENGE to this year. On one hand, we should celebrate what we have done, and become, over these last five decades. On the other hand, we don’t want to think 50 years is a destination. Our mission continues, perhaps more strongly than ever, and Marty Landon Chief Executive Officer healthcare advances are being made every day – some of which are being supported or enabled by us – so we can’t let up. On the first day of this year, I saw the following quote, which I think is appropriate for us in 2024:
Of course, over these last 50 years, the practice of medicine has been changing and improving – and so have we! We are now a team of 700 technicians, scientists, engineers and other professionals serving customers on four continents around the world and supporting our core of blood, tissue and testing services while expanding into the rapidly developing areas of cell and gene (Advanced) Therapies. So as we enter our 50th anniversary year of 2024, let’s go about continuing our individual development journeys, and continuing our collective climb up the mountain of success and doing things that no one thought possible 50 years ago, 20 years ago, or even 5 years ago!
“There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there – you must go beyond them.” - Bruce Lee, actor and martial artist So let’s take a moment, perhaps a few moments across the coming year, to recognize and appreciate all that we have accomplished, and all that those who have come before us have done to establish such a strong foundation for our continuing success. As you’ll see throughout this special edition of Heart to Heart, we are standing on the shoulders of healthcare giants, including two very special doctors and leaders – one of our co-founders, Dr. Robert Gossett (see page 10), who first demonstrated our core value of stewardship around the age of 10, by rescuing unwanted calves at the Devine rail line and who later orchestrated the formation of the South Texas Regional Blood Bank; and our longest-serving CEO, Dr. Norman Kalmin (see page 14) under whose 27 years of leadership we experienced major expansion of both our blood and tissue collection services and testing operations, including our expansion over in Atlanta. Supporting Dr. Kalmin along the way was a visionary board of directors including Mike Kreager, our Chair Emeritus, a local tax attorney with a keen, innovative mind, community service orientation and deep knowledge of the U.S. Tax Code. The mission that Dr. Gossett undertook in 1974, with just 12 employees, remains highly relevant today. In fact, we anticipate that sometime during 2024, we will collect our 5
We have ambitious plans, and we have a talented team capable of realizing those plans, and making BioBridge Global, South Texas Blood & Tissue, QualTex Laboratories and GenCure, with the support of the Blood & Tissue Center Foundation, bigger and more successful than ever in history, and continuing to fulfill and grow our mission of saving and enhancing lives through the healing power of human cells and tissue. Those plans are to continue growing, to continue focusing on great customer service and satisfying donor experiences, and to make every part of our operations selfsustaining. On a high level, we capture these plans in our Top 5 Goals for 2024, which are as follows:
1. INCREASE BLOOD COLLECTIONS BY ACHIEVING OUR MONTHLY BUDGETED RED BLOOD CELL COLLECTION TARGETS. Our community is growing, which
results in more demand for blood products to support patient care. To meet our community needs, we’ll need to collect more than 130,000 units of RBCs in 2024. When we are unable to collect this blood, we have to seek it out from other areas of the country. This is not efficient, and today, because of national blood shortages, quite expensive. So this year, we will continue to improve the donor experience, which hopefully will result in more donors and more-frequent donations. We will start this month by supporting DreamWeek activities around the city and the Commit4Compassion program, which we hope will Please see CORNER OFFICE, Page 23
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COVER STORY |
OUR STORY
BioBridge Global has grown from a tiny facility with a staff of 12 to a diversified biomedical organization n the late 1960s and early 1970s, turmoil ruled. A president mired in an unwinnable war declined his party’s nomination. Protests and riots about the Vietnam War, about civil injustice, sometimes just about life in America’s decaying cities, filled the headlines. So did assassinations, infighting and a “two-bit burglary” that brought down another presidency. The roil of history touched virtually every corner of life. Including the blood banking business. In the spring of 1972, news reports began to surface about Americans who had been diagnosed with hepatitis after receiving blood transfusions. The numbers were shocking – as many as 50,000 a year infected, 3,500 dead. One study showed that 56% of patients who underwent heart surgery wound up with hepatitis. With no reliable testing available, blood centers and hospitals were left to believe that the people they were paying to give blood were not infected. The shock of the reports reached Washington with
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astonishing speed. The National Blood Bank Act of 1972 was introduced in Congress in June, putting the blame for the epidemic squarely on paid blood donations – and calling for their end. Later that summer, a previously little-known federal agency, the Food & Drug Administration, announced it was taking regulatory control of blood centers nationwide, with plans to safeguard the blood supply. Beginning in 1973, virtually all the nation’s blood collectors announced they would no longer pay for blood. (The National Blood Bank Act of 1972 never passed, but the FDA codified the move to all-volunteer donors in 1978.) The immediate result of the end to paid blood donation was critical shortages from coast to coast. Centers shuttled units from one location to another. Hospitals opened their own blood banks. The burst of competition for a precious commodity meant there was never enough to go around.
South Texas medical leaders seek solution The desperate blood situation worried members of the Bexar County Medical Society, who just over two decades before had raised money to bring in Southwest Blood Services, a multistate organization, to set up the city’s first civilian blood bank. Southwest’s operations and decisionmaking were based in Arizona. The regional nonprofit, which had grown to national scale in the 1960s and renamed itself Blood Services, had a good relationship with what was then a highly influential group of San Antonio doctors. But chronic shortages led to the city’s hospitals to open their own blood banks, competing with Blood Services and each other for a shrinking pool of volunteer donors. The medical society turned to some of its most esteemed members – including its former president, Dr. Robert F. Gossett, and Dr. Charles Robinson – to address the issue. The medical society’s blood bank committee met and considered multiple options for relieving the crisis before deciding on a course that would lead to the creation of what is today known as South Texas Blood & Tissue and BioBridge Global. In June 1973, Gossett and his committee convinced Blood Services to agree to turn over operations, resources and staff to a locally based blood bank. As importantly, they obtained agreements from the hospitals to shut down their blood banks and fulfill their needs with an organization that the medical society chartered with the state in November 1973. Gossett was named the first chairman of the board of directors. On a cool and damp Wednesday in San Antonio, at the first meeting of its board of directors, the South Texas Regional Blood Bank was delivered to the region by local doctors, hospitals and representatives of Blood Services. That organization, launched Jan. 9, 1974, became the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center in 1994 and BioBridge Global two decades later. The transition from Blood Services to the South Texas Regional Blood Bank would be
gradual – it took almost two years. But the founders had found what they hoped was an end to the turmoil.
Help from the community Blood Services operations in San Antonio in 1974 were painfully small. A staff of just 12, led by a blood banking veteran Joe V. Garcia Jr., juggled multiple jobs: They scheduled and ran drives, They collected blood. They performed rudimentary tests. They delivered units to hospitals. They did the paperwork. Their headquarters at 112 Auditorium Circle, which hadn’t been new when Blood Services bought it in 1952, had a leaky roof and precious little lab space. The blood bank technically collected across 27 counties but depended mainly on San Antonio and Laredo to meet its needs. Including the building, equipment and aging vehicles, the Blood Services assets were valued at just $250,000. Having members of the local medical community on the board of directors seemed to give the blood bank a boost, though. So did visible support from Lila Cockrell; a longtime member of the City Council who was elected the city’s first female mayor in 1975. Cockrell’s husband Sid had served as executive director of the Bexar County Medical Society after the couple moved to San Antonio in the 1950s, and a member of the original board of the South Texas Regional Blood Bank. Mayor Cockrell was a tireless supporter of the blood bank. She was there for photos when it accepted the keys to a shiny Winnebago “bloodmobile,” posing for photos with members of the board and C.C. “Pop” Gunn, General Sales Manager of Gunn Motor Home Center. Two years later, she was in the fore again, this time at the opening of the blood bank’s new home at 7078 San Pedro Ave. The building, which had been medical offices, was a significant improvement from Auditorium Circle. A brass plaque unveiled at the grand opening dedicated the building to Dr. Gossett – who died less than two months later from complications of cancer. After moving exclusively to volunteer donors in February 1974, the South Texas Regional Blood Bank used some creative steps to develop new sources. Drives were publicized in the city’s three daily newspapers, including one push in 1977 when Executive Director Arland Cook vowed to keep the center open 24 hours a day. It offered donors a certificate for a dinner at Church’s Fried Chicken. It gave away tickets to see the Spurs at HemisFair Arena. But the largest and most consistent source of BIOBRIDGE GLOBAL | HEART TO HEART | WINTER 2024
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COVER STORY | OUR STORY: BioBridge Global has grown from a tiny facility w
new donors was the region’s ample military population, based in virtually every corner of the blood ban’s service area. Hundreds donated at drives from Randolph to Brooks to Lackland, and from Fort Sam Houston to Laughlin in Del Rio. As part of the agreement with Blood Services, local hospitals also phased out their own blood banks, sending donors to the South Texas Regional Blood Bank and boosting donations dramatically in the second half of the decade. Around that time, the board enlisted the help of a young graphic designer named Barbara Shimkus to develop a new logo for the organization. Shimkus, whose talent would vault her to the global design world before her untimely death in 1995, searched for – and found – the soul of the organization, long before it was enumerated in a mission statement: People giving from the heart. Her legacy is the iconic double hearts logo, first displayed on the front of the building on San Pedro Avenue and now an integral part of the organization, from website to physical sites.
Historic new home By 1982, with staff and equipment filling every corner, the blood bank needed a new home. The building on San Pedro hadn’t been noteworthy, historic, or particularly attractive. It hadn’t helped with the process of attracting donors. The organization’s next home needed to make a splash. It did, literally. In October, the San Antonio Light reported that the board was negotiating to buy the YWCA, just north
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of downtown, where McCullough Avenue crossed Broadway. It was going to take $3 million to purchase and refurbish the historic building, designed by noted San Antonio architect Atlee Ayers and opened in 1913. The Y presented multiple challenges, not the least of which was a swimming pool in the basement that tended to re-fill when it rained. Being on the National Register of Historic Places, the building could not be modified significantly, including the exterior. The gymnasium floor could only house cubicles, not offices. Architects were able to get approval for a soaring, glassedin atrium in the middle of the U-shaped building, but precious few other changes were allowed. Work began in 1983. Staff started moving into the new building in the summer of 1984. The blood bank had a public grand opening later that year, including a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Ann Gossett, widow of the father of the blood bank. A photo reproduced through the years shows dignitaries crossing the atrium on a second-floor catwalk that day, framed by a two-story glass wall. Other photos feature politicians visiting with blood bank leaders, including Executive Director Thomas Williams and a young doctor who had recently joined the organization as medical director. His name was Dr. Norman D. Kalmin. A native of South Africa, Dr. Kalmin had emigrated to the United States to finish medical school in the late 1970s. He came to San Antonio from Atlanta, where he had worked for the American Red Cross in his first blood banking job. Soon after Williams retired at the end of 1984, Dr. Kalmin added President and Chief Executive Officer to his role as Medical Director. It was a fortunate match. He brought a combination of medical experience and dedication to the business side of the organization, one that that endeared him to both the doctors and the businessmen on the board of directors.
Another public health crisis Though hamstrung by architectural restrictions of the Y, the building was an asset in the first few years of the 1980s, as donors came downtown just to see it. The organization had grown to almost 100 employees, and collections were continuing to rise. Just in time for another threat to the entire industry. In June 1981, the first five cases of a rare type of pneumonia – one that normally only appeared in people with compromised immune systems – were reported. Soon after, large numbers of homosexual men were diagnosed with a rare skin cancer, often leading to further odd infections and a slow, dragging death. It took another year for researchers to identify the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as the source of what became known as Acquired Immunity Deficiency Syndrome – AIDS. It took longer to announce that it was transmitted mainly through sex. Many political leaders of the time wanted to pigeonhole it as a disease limited to gay men. And then people started getting it from blood transfusions. Movie star Rock Hudson contracted the virus during a
with a staff of 12 to a diversified biomedical organization heart operation in 1981, was diagnosed with AIDS in 1984 and died a year later. Tennis champion Arthur Ashe was infected from a transfusion given during surgery in 1983. The science of blood testing, which had managed to develop ways to detect two strains of hepatitis in the years since the scandals of the 1970s, had to accelerate. The earliest test, which detected antibodies produced by the body in reaction to an HIV infection, became available in mid-1985. The staff at the South Texas Regional Blood Bank, having lived through the worst period for blood collections in history, knew something dramatic needed to be done. Local news media were invited to the Y on the afternoon of Aug. 5, 1985, to hear about the testing. But producers of a daily noon news program on KSAT-TV wanted a live announcement for their program with reporter Angela Vierville. Dr. Kalmin, who was still relatively new to the area and not predisposed to media events or public speaking, agreed. It was that important. AIDS was far from the only issue Dr. Kalmin and the blood bank faced. Reports were coming out on a regular basis about the development of artificial blood – a development that could render a blood bank superfluous in the world of medical treatment. The organization needed to diversify. One idea, which lasted just a few years, was to offer paternity testing. Another led to a name change. A third launched the next phase of the entire organization.
Looking northwest for a new location By the late 1980s, the organization had outgrown the Y. Blood collections, especially at off-site blood drives, were growing. So was the staff. Downtown parking was an issue for both donors and the ever-growing fleet of vehicles. Lab space was limited, and remodeling was hamstrung by the building’s historical designation. Hospitals in the rapidly expanding medical center wanted the blood bank closer. The board began to look for land outside the city center. It settled on a three-acre portion of what had been a popular horse farm and training center called Vance View Stables, on the city’s northwest side. It was a highly visible location on Interstate 10, easily accessible, with room for more parking, lab space, blood donation rooms and space for mobile collection vehicles. The San Antonio Credit Union had built its new headquarters building next door, and developers had constructed a 10-story office tower on the other side. But money was an issue – between the land and the specialized needs for the building, the organization needed to raise $10 million. Accountants reached out to a local tax
attorney, Michael Kreager, who helped set up a way to raise the money via tax-free bonds. The board went to USAA with the bonds, and the San Antonio-based financial giant bought them all. Kreager, his interest piqued, joined the board of directors. Overland Partners came up with an award-winning design for the new home, incorporating native Texas limestone inside and out, a distinctive rotunda for the donor room and the double hearts, large enough to be seen from the highway. Site prep at 6211 Interstate 10 West began in January 1994 and dignitaries, including Mayor Nelson Wolff, helped launch construction with ceremonies on Valentine’s Day. By December, staff was moving into the facility. John Douglas, chairman of the board at the time, also recommended that 1% of the construction funding be dedicated to a collection from local artists, based on a theme of recycling. A committee of board members, employees, architects and local art experts looked through hundreds of submissions. Their selections formed the basis for the BioBridge Global Art Collection, now featured across the organization. An opportunity to widen the organization’s scope came along in the 1990s, in the form of a dispute between the American Red Cross and the Bexar County Medical Examiner. The Red Cross operated a posthumous tissue program with the county, in which it collected, processed, stored and delivered bone, tendons and other tissues for use by orthopedic surgeons. When the agreement ended, Dr. Kalmin and the organization decided to set up a similar program, in the name of diversification, and won the contract with the county. In September 1994, the South Texas Regional Blood Bank became the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center.
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COVER STORY | OUR STORY: BioBridge Global has grown from a tiny facility w
An opportunity for expansion While regulators were slow to mandate testing, even after the AIDS crisis, the need was there. STBTC developed many of its own tests for local blood donations, a process that gradually wound up in the hands of pharma giants like Abbott Laboratories, which were better equipped to gain approval for them through the FDA. So the organization began a longstanding agreement with Abbott, including one that would help with large-scale testing of blood and plasma donations. That led to more efficiencies for the organization, but more importantly, a gigantic opportunity. Plasma had to be checked for viral markers before it was sent overseas to be pooled and processed. And while testing was a small part of the global business of plasma therapies, a small part of a global business was pretty big. The center soon found itself with a $100 million-a-year testing operation. The problem was that it was spending $80 million a year on testing supplies, including sales tax, and was paying a high federal tax rate. Kreager, who had helped reshape the board into an efficient business-running operation, found a clause in the federal tax code that would allow the testing side to be operated as a nonprofit as part of its role in public safety. That would mean a lower federal tax rate and an exemption from the 8.25% sales tax. Testing, which eventually expanded to blood donations for other centers, became so profitable that the organization was able to set up an endowment, one that would come in handy a few years later. In 2007, the nonprofit testing arm of the blood center was spun off into its own organization, QualTex Laboratories.
up an endowment, one that could raise money all the time. Kreager liked the idea, and he and his wife Emilie joined Dr. Norman and his wife Karen for monthly meetings about the concept starting in December 2001. The group added Dr. Kalmin and local business owner Dennis Stahl early in 2002, and the fundraising arm of the organization, The Blood & Tissue Center Foundation, was chartered in September 2002. The addition was funded, opening in 2002 as well – just in time for more diversification. Stem cell therapy for blood conditions had been approved by the FDA, including stem cells collected from umbilical cords (which were typically discarded as medical waste). Fisk undertook the task of setting up the state’s first center for collecting, testing and storing umbilical cord stem cells. She had political connections, including the wife of Tom Craddock, the powerful Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, who controlled a discretionary fund in the Legislature. With support from the Speaker, the Texas Cord Blood Bank was formed with $1 million from the funds. Not long afterward, the Legislature appropriated an additional $3.5 million for the project – as long as the organization could match it. The newly former Blood & Tissue Center Foundation was up to the task, helped in part by funds raised at what would become a tradition – the Red & White Ball.
An iconic expansion
Building a Foundation The growth in the early 2000s also had another major impact on the organization. By 2001, it had outgrown the original building at 6211 Interstate 10 West and needed another 40,000 square feet of space, mainly for testing laboratories. But construction costs had risen dramatically – the twostory addition to the back of the building was going to cost as much as the entire original building. Raising capital also had become more difficult, and a capital campaign struggled to find the $10 million it needed. But then came a prescient suggestion from Dr. Ruskin Norman, one of the founders of the Cancer Therapy and Research Center in San Antonio. He told Kreager and one of the organization’s executives, Mary Beth Fisk, that what the center needed was a foundation to build 8
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When the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center moved to 6211 Interstate 10 West in 1994, it only purchased a small part of the Vance View Stables property. Photos from the era show a parking lot behind the original building and one across First Park Ten Boulevard. North of the building: scrub brush and a few trees. In 1996, six acres of that land became available – and the board, after some debate, bought it. It was a prescient move, as the rapidly growing organization was going to need even more room to grow. The addition in 2002 eliminated a large parking lot, and continued growth in blood donations were beginning to overwhelm the donor room in the distinctive
with a staff of 12 to a diversified biomedical organization
rotunda. The organization went back to the style of the original building for a design of a new one that would sit atop a hill at the top of the six-acre tract. The architects came back with a plan hewn from the region’s limestone – and added a foursided tower, one that would be a beacon of the double hearts logo for miles. Ground was broken in 2007 in ceremonies moved indoors because of torrential rains. A year later, the Donor Pavilion opened with an expanded donor center, office space and a large meeting room that would become the site for everything from Halloween parties to news conferences. A call went out for additions to the art collection, and new pieces were placed in public spaces.
Looking east – to Georgia In QualTex, growth was unabated, to the point of needing even more lab space. With some of its biggest customers based in the Eastern United States, and with them expressing concerns about continuity of testing operations, the board began to look for locations outside of San Antonio as a second location. One made the most sense: Atlanta. Besides being a central location for eastern customers, Atlanta had a major airport. In addition, Dr. Kalmin still had family there. So the board bought a building in the Atlanta suburb of Norcross, a facility with considerable room for expansion. Dr. Kalmin stepped down as CEO of the organization after 27 years and moved back to Georgia to help run the new facility. The new location opened in April, 2011. In August, plans were announced for the last piece of the diversification plan, GenCure. Founded with the aim to promote regenerative medicine, GenCure took over operations of the Texas Cord Blood Bank, the tissue collection program and the organization’s partnership with the National Marrow Donor Recruitment Program, which sought to expand and diversify the adult stem cell donor base around the region. The addition of GenCure left the organization with three
entities and the foundation – and a variety of duplicated functions. To consolidate services like IT, communications and human resources, in the spring of 2012 the board applied to the IRS to establish a nonprofit that would handle all support functions. The original memo about the change, sent to employees in May, referred to it simply as “Holding Company.” Linda Myers, who had worked her way up through the testing side of the operations to become Chief Operating Officer of QualTex in 2007, was named Chief Operating Officer of the Holding Company in the spring of 2013. On Oct. 1, having been dubbed BioBridge Global, it officially began operations with ceremonies in the Donor Pavilion Auditorium.
Coming back In 2015, a combination of factors led to significant challenges in QualTex. Extreme weather affected delivery of samples and testing supplies, leading to testing backlogs. Two factors basically saved the organization. One was the reserve built during over the years in QualTex. The other was the arrival of a CEO whose experiences fitted the organization’s needs precisely. When Linda Myers in July announced her plans to retire, an acquaintance suggested to Kreager that he reach out to Martin Landon, who at the time was CEO of CeloNova BioSciences Inc. Landon had executive experience that fit the need, including serving as Chief Financial Officer at the highly successful Kinetic Concepts Inc. In San Antonio. Landon accepted the challenge, developing a plan to rebuild BioBridge Global and a team to implement it. To staff, he simplified the goal: “reaching the magic green line.” BioBridge Global topped the line in 2020 has been on the positive side since. The last major organizational change to the organization came in 2017, when the cord blood and tissue programs returned to South Texas Blood & Tissue and GenCure turned its focus to advanced therapies, including the opening of a bioproduction facility and process development laboratory that became the first tenant of the VelocityTX biosciences hub on San Antonio’s East Side. The future looks bright as the organization focuses on its expanding core, including testing services, advanced therapies, research – and of course, blood donation, processing and distribution. It’s estimated that South Texas Blood & Tissue will reach 5 million donations in its history sometime this year.
Coming up The summer edition of Heart to Heart will feature a look at the organization’s future. n BIOBRIDGE GLOBAL | HEART TO HEART | WINTER 2024
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FEATURE NEWS | |
O
OUR FOUNDING F
DR. ROBERT F
n September 7, 1977, the South Texas Regional Blood Bank honored the father of South Texas blood banking. Dignitaries including Mayor Lila Cockrell gathered at 7078 San Pedro Ave. for the grand opening of the blood bank’s newest location, one dedicated to Dr. Robert Francis Gossett. A plaque was included on the building, a lasting reminder of his contribution. He was the driving force for and first president of the locally based blood bank, making him the founding father of BioBridge Global. But very few know his story.
Creating a local blood source
In July 1972, South Texas was experiencing chronic blood shortages, mainly caused by a recent national move away from paid donors. Blood Services, the local blood bank had become a large national organization. Any blood collected in San Antonio wasn’t guaranteed to stay. In 1973, the Bexar County Medical Society’s Ad Hoc Blood Services committee—with Dr. Gossett at the forefront—proposed a local blood bank to provide for Bexar and 25 surrounding counties. After much negotiation with Blood Services, the South Texas Regional Blood Bank was chartered in November 1973, agreed to buy out Blood Services in January 1974, and completed the transfer in August. His leadership brought hospitals and medical circles, and community together to create San Antonio’s first and only locally sourced blood bank. From a small building on 112 Auditorium Circle, Dr. Gossett led 12
employees to something greater.
An impressive resume
Born on Feb. 22, 1910 in Dallas, he received his M.D. from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston in May 1935. He began his practice in San Antonio in 1936, and except for four years in the United States Army Air Corps during WWII, continued well into the 70’s. A renowned professional, Dr. Gossett served on countless medical boards and committees. He was active at Baptist Memorial Hospital, serving as chief of staff of surgery. A longtime member of the BCMS, Gossett served as president in 1955.
BCMS Presidency
Top: Dr. Robert Francis Gossett (left) accepts a copy of a plaque from colleague Dr. Charles Robinson (right). The plaque was a dedication to Gossett, who spearheaded the organization. This was during the South Texas Regional Blood Bank’s grand opening on Sept 7, 1977.
In 1955, polio was Bottom: The Father of South Texas Blood Banking, Dr. Robert disabling thousands of Gossett addresses the public during the grand opening of the South Texas Regional Blood Bank’s second location on 7078 San Americans annually, but Pedro. field trials of a vaccine were taking place in multiple locations, including San Antonio. city had only 42% of its needs. According Dr. Gossett worked with supply to statistics conducted by BCMS doctors, houses to bring 45,000 vaccines for local the city had 1426 beds and needed 1600 children. He ensured a fair distribution more to meet national standards. system was set up. That effort helped lead to what is now By 1956, polio had plummeted, with Methodist Hospital, built in September only 96 cases and four deaths reported. 1963. The following year, cases fell to a 10-year In April 1955, Dr. Gossett traveled to low. Dr. Gossett helped make it possible. Fort Worth and advocated for integration He also publicly campaigned for more within statewide medical organizations. hospital beds in San Antonio, stating the
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LETTERS AND NOTES |
FATHER:
RANCIS GOSSETT He said doctors of color should undergo the same review process as any other BCMS members did, ensuring anyone approved was “ethical and professional,” regardless of race. He also spearheaded one of the first locally aired television shows: “Bexar, M.D.,” a weekly 15-minute segment aired on WOAI Channel 4. It shed light on the modern practice of medicine and featured doctors from the Bexar County Medical Society.
Kindness as a kid
Dr. Gossett’s contributions to San Antonio’s medical advancement were vast, but his altruism began as a child. A story shared by Frank Dodson, one of Dr. Gossett’s former patients, paints a picture: “Dr. Robert, while operating on my big toe, relayed to me, I think to distract me, how he got into the cattle business. He said when he was around my age, about 10, that he used to go to the rail line in Devine when they were loading cattle. “Many of the young calves were too weak to make the load so they were just discarded next to the tracks. He would put a rope on them, take them home and nurse them. He stated it was those cows which enabled him to go to college and that he still had fine herd of cattle as a result.” Dr. Gossett’s father, William Calvin Gossett died when he was 1 year old. The loss of a father so young may have accounted Anne Gossett did the for the honors at ribbonempathy cutting ceremonies exhibited at the downtown location in 1984.
throughout Dr. Gossett’s life. He had a heart for people, particularly youth and underrepresented communities. His mother Lula Teel lived with Dr. Gossett and his wife Anne for many years after her retirement from teaching. She was 80 when she died in 1962.
Contributing to the community
Gossett joined the board of directors of the Mexican Christan Institute in 1954. Its kindergarten, clinic and recreational programs were a lifeline for many poorer West Siders. During the Biafra War in 1967, he worked to save starving children. In 1955, he became the volunteer onsite doctor at Boysville, “the farm home with a heart for homeless boys.” He was named honorary director in 1962 and served as the onsite physician for 20 years. Upon his retirement, Boysville lauded his service as a “true dedication beyond the call of duty.” But he had one major project left.
His final act
Despite retiring, Dr. Gosset was determined to create a local blood bank. He brought together local physicians, hospitals, and community leaders to create an organization that would serve
the region to this day. That organization quickly outgrew its original location and obtained a building on San Pedro Avenue in 1977. Photos from Sept. 7 portray Dr. Gossett with an air of dignity. Smartly dressed, his eyes exude kindness behind the spectacles, albeit a little tired, even as he accepted a copy of the plaque from colleague Dr. Charles Robinson. The unveiling of the plaque at the new location was the final act of a long and remarkable career. On Nov. 7, Dr. Gossett succumbed to cancer. He was buried in Devine, where his dreams began as a young boy. Forever memorialized on his grave is a reference to “The House on the Side of the Road” by Sam Walter Voss: “Build me a house by the side of the road and let me be a friend to man.” Little did he know how much his foresight would affect the Alamo City. By 1984, more than 50,000 people had donated blood. Another larger location was needed. When the South Texas Regional Blood Bank expanded to an even larger facility on McCullough Avenue in 1984, Dr. Gossett’s widow Anne was present for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. It was a tribute to the man who made it all happen: Dr. Robert Francis Gossett. n (Authors note: The Bexar County Medical Society was gracious enough to lend me their library and conduct some more research. Their books, along with a slew of newspaper archives and BioBridge Global archives helped me create a picture of Dr. Gossett’s legacy.)
Story by Amanda Lozano
BIOBRIDGE GLOBAL | HEART TO HEART | WINTER 2024
11
FEATURE |
Joe Garcia: Empl When the South Texas Regional Blood Bank was born on a January day in 1974, the organization inherited a building with a leaky roof, a couple of old centrifuges, a tiny laboratory
Sales for QualTex Laboratories and GenCure, who Joe hired in 1993 to work in the components lab.
DOING IT ALL Being part of the original 12 meant everyone had to do every job, from recruitment to registration to phlebotomy. The process was much simpler in 1974, with little testing or processing and
Joe Garcia, with South Texas Regional Blood Bank CEO Dr. Norman Kalmin, at the organization’s 1987 holiday party.
and 12 employees. Included in that original 12: Joe V. Garcia Jr., simply “Joe” to everyone. Joe had started with Southwest Blood Services on Aug. 20, 1962, working in his hometown of San Antonio and spending a couple of years running the organization’s operations in Laredo. By the time Blood Services (the name changed as it expanded as far north as Chicago) agreed to sell its operations to the organization that would eventually become BioBridge Global in 1974, Joe was the senior member of the team. “He was the original guy,” said Jose Garcia, Vice President,
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As one of the bilingual members of the team, Joe Garcia appeared on Spanish-language TV shows to promote the need for blood donations.
a smaller service area, but dedication and innovation were key job requirements. “When you came in in the morning, you could be facing a quality challenge, or maybe a production challenge, or a marketing challenge,” Garcia said. “You didn’t know what you were doing to do –
“One of the things about Joe was that he was so passionate,” said Irma Villarreal
Joe Garcia poses with a fine pen set: one of many gifts given to him thanking him for his tenure.
loyee No. 1 Joe Garcia at the desk, circa 1976.
that’s what made it so interesting and fun to work here.” to San Pedro Avenue to McCullough Avenue, Joe became the It also explains the strong feelings for the value of the work. foundation for the staff. “One of the things about Joe was that he was so passionate,” “He was an awesome boss; he had patience and was very said Irma Villarreal, who started with the organization in 1979 knowledgeable and passionate about his job,” Avila said. “Once and today is Senior Advisor, Quality Team Development. a year he would have a big barbeque with his family out at his One of Joe’s passions was place in Losoya. He would invite making sure donated blood – the staff – he considered his team which was in chronically short as his family.” supply in the 1970s as centers Those feelings lasted moved from paid to volunteer through multiple locations and donors – was prepared and generations. delivered as quickly as possible. “He had a very special bond To make that happen, he with the people he worked devised a system for processing closely with,” said Veronica blood from drives outside the city. Garza, Assistant Director, He and a coworker would travel Financial Services, who started in the organization’s mobile lab – in 1999. “He treated them like a converted motor home – to the his own children and was very drive and collect donations. Joe protective of them.” would drive the Winnebago back An avid hunter, Joe would to San Antonio and his partner make venison chili on-site at would process the blood, which least once a year. He knew every at the time had a shorter shelf life hole-in-the-wall eating place in than it does today. town and loved sharing them “He always said those were long with the team. And he was a days – they would leave early and regular at every employee event. get back late,” said Corrine Avila, By the latter stages of his who Joe hired in components in career, the organization ran out 1989 and today is Component of ways to recognize his tenure. Laboratory Training Specialist. At one year’s holiday party, he When he wasn’t out on mobile received multiple gifts. Another Joe Garcia and Dr. Norman Kalmin visit during a holiday party. drives, Joe could be found at the year, he was rewarded with little building at 112 Auditorium an all-expenses-paid trip to Las Circle, monitoring every step of the Vegas, one of his favorite places process. to visit. Except for one rainy day, that is. In 2005, the organization threw him a big retirement party “We looked up and there was a big bulge in the ceiling,” he in the Headquarters Building. Everyone was invited, and he said. “The next thing you know, the whole ceiling is falling took one last photo with many of those he had hired and/or down and we’re all running out into the street.” trained through the years. “His knowledge of the time when the blood bank started was interesting and scary at the same time” Garza said. “He loved A STEADYING FACTOR his career tremendously.” n As the South Texas Regional Blood Bank grew rapidly during the 1970s and ‘80s, moving from Auditorium Circle
Story by David King
BIOBRIDGE GLOBAL | HEART TO HEART | WINTER 2024
13
FEATURE |
The man who d Dr. Norman
hen Dr. Norman D. Kalmin went to work as its Medical Director in September 1983, the South Texas Regional Blood Bank was stuck at 65,000 donations a year. Hospitals were re-opening their blood banks because of shortages. Units were being imported from United Blood Services in Arizona. The 150 members of the South Texas Regional Blood Bank staff were crammed into an undersized facility
– and getting ready to move into one without much room to grow, located far from the city’s growing medical center. But all Dr. Kalmin could see was potential. “I had the opportunity to do things with the South Texas Regional Blood Bank that I couldn’t do as a member of the American Red Cross because unless I was in (Red Cross headquarters in) Washington, D.C., I couldn’t call any shots for the organization,” he says. “Coming to this organization, it was really ripe for innovation and development, and fortunately we
had a board that was willing to work with me on that issue. Otherwise, I probably would have to have moved on somewhere else.” He didn’t. For the next 30 years – 27 of them as the organization’s top executive – he was simply a transformational force.
Double the experience Growing up in South Africa, he had spent his spare time at his father’s business, which sold clothing and home furnishings. “I was always a keen bookkeeper, that was one of my favorite subjects in school,” he says. “I’m glad I had that initial training, because as you know, when you go out into the field of medicine, you’re not going to be learning how to run a business.” He earned his medical degree in South Africa, but quickly looked for a way out of the country’s political strife brought on by the racist apartheid rule. He landed a residency in Buffalo, New York, and in 1976 he moved his family to the United States. Three years of nasty Buffalo winters later, he landed a fellowship with the American Red Cross blood bank in Atlanta. Chafing under remote leadership led him to San Antonio. When the Executive Director of the South Texas Regional Blood Bank retired in 1985, Dr. Kalmin got top job. “The board said to me, ‘OK, you got what you asked for. You’ve got to run the center now and make sure you draw more blood,’” he says. That turned out to be his 10-year plan – collecting enough blood to meet the community’s needs.
An unlikely public face By nature, Dr. Kalmin is soft-spoken and meticulous, hardly the archetype for a high-profile leader.
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“He is very old-school, very measured,” says Mike Kreager, who worked with Kalmin closely while leading the organization’s board of directors. “It’s like if he were dissecting a cadaver, learning about its parts. That’s the way he thinks in attacking a problem.” He also doesn’t come across as someone who might become the public face of an organization. “He didn’t like being out in front of the public,” says Dr. Rachel Beddard, who Dr. Kalmin hired to be medical director of the Texas Cord Blood Bank. “It was not his favorite thing to do.” But if blood collections were going to increase, someone had to be the public face of the organization. So Dr. Kalmin became a regular in photos and articles in the city’s competing newspapers, the Express-News and the Light. He frequently appeared on the television
Dr. Norman Kalmin cuts one of the many ceremonial ribbons in his career, this one at the downtown location.
did it all: n Kalmin news. He went to events, to galas, to community groups. “I had to impress upon the community that it was a matter of saving lives, for them to come out and donate blood,” he says. “I was not concerned about appearing in front of television cameras to get the message across. In 1996, annual donations topped 100,000. They’ve never dropped under six figures again.
Spreading potential Even as he was working to boost donations, Dr. Kalmin also was looking for ways to diversify the organization. “Our plan was to make ourselves a national center,” he says. “How could we differentiate ourselves from Dallas and from Austin, Corpus Christi and Houston, which all had their own blood centers?” The first opportunity had come along in the 1980s with the need for more testing of donated blood. The lab staff at the South Texas Regional Blood Bank developed one of the first tests to detect the presence of the virus that causes AIDS, and then implemented a similar one from Abbott Laboratories when it earned FDA approval. Testing proved to be expensive. But testing the blood donations for other blood and plasma centers could lead to economies of scale. “In the 1980s, we were basically break-even in terms of our financial statements,” he says. “It’s only when we started doing testing for other centers that we actually started making a profit. “We always said, ‘We’re not-for-profit, but we’re not for loss either.’ We had to make sure the bottom line was in the green or the black not in the red.” Another opportunity came along when the organization landed a contract with the medical examiner’s office to collect, process, store and distribute bone and
other tissue from posthumous donors. And then the third: a tract of undeveloped land along Interstate 10 on San Antonio’s northwest side, halfway between the downtown and the medical center hospitals. The organization broke ground at 6211 Interstate 10 West on Valentine’s Day, 1994, renamed itself the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center in September and moved operations before the end of the year. That building became the home of QualTex Laboratories, the entity launched to provide testing services to centers around the country – and later, around the world. More followed: a partnership with the National Marrow Donor Program, state funding for the Texas Cord Blood Bank. “We grew this and we grew that and we grew kind of like an amoeba,” says Dr. Beddard. “But he really was very purposeful with what he was doing, especially with QualTex and with the Texas Cord Blood Bank and with tissue. And I remember thinking that was just so smart of him, and I am thankful.”
A global approach As the organization grew, so did its profile. Earning ISO 9000 certification for the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center – a laborious process that took countless hours – built its international reputation. ISO 9000 is defined as a set of international standards on quality management and quality assurance to help companies effectively document the quality system elements needed to maintain an efficient quality system. It helps increase business efficiency and improves customer satisfaction. Dr. Kalmin launched the Distinguished Speaker Series, bringing experts in blood banking and hematology to speak to the staff – and get a tour of his pride, the ever-expanding facilities.
In 2006, he was invited to join the 12-member board of the International Society of Blood Transfusion, an 85-nation organization dedicated to improving blood collections around the globe. “That really gave the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center international exposure, because I made sure that people knew where I was coming from,” he says. “It was really great to be recognized in that way.” He traveled the world for board meetings, often returning with both new ideas and new customers, and built relationships that last to this day.
Final act In 2011, concerned about continuity of testing in case of power outages in San Antonio, the organization opened a lab in the Atlanta suburb of Norcross, Georgia. Dr. Kalmin, wanting to be closer to his adult children, offered to step down as CEO, move back to Atlanta and help launch the facility. After 27 years, he had reached the finish line. The blood center was keeping orders filled. Testing services were profitable. Expansion of facilities and programs had the organization ready for the future. Two years later, with the Norcross lab up and running, he retired. “I couldn’t have done it alone,” he says. “Not only was the board supportive, but I had some wonderful staff working with me, in senior management, mid-level and down to the bench. “Everybody during those years was supportive and open to suggestion. It’s thanks to them that we are the organization that you see today.” n
Story by David King
BIOBRIDGE GLOBAL | HEART TO HEART | WINTER 2024
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FEATURE |
LADY
BEHIND THE
LOGO:
BARBARA ANN SHIMKUS Barb’s Background:
Barbara was born in Ohio and graduated from Penn State University in 1973. While there, and afterwards, she was recognized for her talents. In 1992 her alma mater awarded her “Designer of the Year.” She moved to San Antonio when her father Robert relocated from Connecticut to work at the Southwest Research Institute. Robert was a ham radio operator and amateur photographer, which may have helped fuel Barbara’s creativity and love for art. In the late ‘70s, Barbara teamed up with other young, talented creatives to form KoNig Center, based in San Antonio. It was there she collaborated with other local trailblazers, including commercial illustrator Thom Ricks, copywriter Ginger Dutcher, and art director and best friend Pat Marince. A compassionate soul, Barbara volunteered regularly at the
Battered Women’s Shelter. She also was an avid teacher of Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way:” a spiritual guide to help blocked creatives reignite their spark.
Shaping San Anto’s scene
From 1975 until 1995, Barbara’s style deeply influenced the quality of graphic design in the Alamo City. She worked on many projects, including designing early Texas Folklife Festival posters and high-end art books ranging on topics from Realism to Mexican culture. In a New York Creative Art Directors manual from 1987, Barbara’s art —a logo created for local car dealership Hudson— sits nestled between PBS and Murdoch Magazines (Yes, THE Rupert Murdoch) logos lauded for their design. She was at that level. “She was the most gifted graphic designer I’ve ever known,” Pat Marince said via email correspondence. “To me there are two types of creative people. Talented, and gifted. Barbara was one of the gifted ones, she designed without conscious thought in
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hours, while it would take me a couple days to approach her level.”
World-Class Artistry
San Antonio wasn’t the only place influenced by Barbara’s artistry. A world-class designer, Barbara served as an International Bridge between the United States and the Soviet Union. She was also asked to speak in Germany on the importance of graphic design during the fall of the Berlin Wall. Her work came during a political, tumultuous time in graphic design, before Photoshop and filters. Things were done manually and sometimes tediously. “The best way to describe Barbara’s work is to say it was always unexpected. Barbara didn’t have a style; it just came out. Always sophisticated and meticulous,” Pat Marince said. Her works gained countless recognitions including two Women in Design International Designer of the Year Award, a profile on Japanese design magazine IDEA, and a six-page feature
on “Gebrauchsgraphik,” an incredibly prestigious German design publication. She was at the apex of her career… when cancer took her at the age of 38. She passed away in the care of her parents at home. “She [Barbara] could have worked anywhere. She was simply one of the best graphic designers in the country. The whole world will miss her work and influence,” Pat said. Thom Ricks, one of her former associates described her funeral as “jarring.” “She was so young,” he said.
Continuing a legacy
“Barbara won so many awards and honors, but she never flaunted them. A lot of them we would learn about much later,” her father, Robert would write in her obituary. Unlike in journalism and many other creative arts, there is no consistent standard for attribution in graphic design. It is a traditionally anonymous pursuit, one difficult to track through 40-plus years. Attributing what her father said, it isn’t
surprising if Barbara chose not to take credit for a lot. Confident and superior designers know what they have contributed. Graphic artists know their latest great piece will not be their last. And they care more about the influence of the piece, or the functionality of the piece rather than their own recognition. Some of Barbara’s legacy continues through Pat. He set up the Barbara Ann Shimkus Endowed Scholarship in her honor at Texas State University. It is specifically for young students pursuing a career in Communication Design. She also lives on through BioBridge Global’s mission. Her creative vision of compassion is the lifeblood of everything we do. n
Barbara Shimkus designed the cover for one of the first books about Texas wines, as well as the logo for a local auto dealer.
Barbara Shimkus (center) poses with the other artists and designers from the Konig Design Group.
Story by Amanda Lozano
BIOBRIDGE GLOBAL | HEART TO HEART | WINTER 2024
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(ALMOST)
Irma Villarreal
Irma Villarreal, caught at the desk taking care of problems.
And at that time too, or close to that time too, San Antonio was not really on the map, or anything related to HLA.” Offered a new position overseeing this new department at the medical school, Irma found herself sitting at the cusp of something new, setting up the HLA lab for the Health Science Center. Unfortunately, there were a lot of bumps along the way. The job required her to be atthe-ready whenever a potential organ transplant donor became available. “I was on call, and needless to say, those calls came in in the middle of the night,” she said. “You have Things started happening in the 80s. to do the HLA typing. You have to do the crossmatching. You have to do all sorts of stuff in order to All this testing. (But) we couldn’t put determine compatibility.” in any equipment. We were dying Though the work was rewarding, it was a definite challenge when it comes to work/life down there trying to get enough balance. Especially for Irma, who had two little space etc., for all the equipment children at the time. Fortunately, she’d made more pending the FDA approvals, and all connections, this time at the South Texas Regional Blood Bank. the mandates.” “At South Texas Regional Blood Bank, they wanted to introduce the program of doing the HLA typing for disease association,” Irma said. “I got hired right In March 1979, Irma was a newly minted graduate of away.” Incarnate Word College’s Medical Technology Program. Not too long before, a group of physicians had identified Originally from Roma in the Rio Grande Valley, she that South Texas needed to develop a way to collect blood began her career as an intern at the Health Science for this region. The South Texas Regional Blood Bank was Center’s medical school program with Bexar County born. Amazing team members like Irma became a key Hospital. factor in helping the organization to grow. “It was all lectures,” she said. “And of course, we were “I got my hands into a lot of different things, you know, students. You know? We were not supposed to touch I learned a lot,” she said. “It’s been a great ride and I’ve anything.” loved every minute of it. The other good thing is that I’ve Frustrated and wanting to learn, Irma got to know the had the opportunity to do a lot of things – IRL, apheresis, blood bank staff at Bexar County Hospital. donor recruitment, budgeting, and donor services for “So, they took me in, and ... the minute I graduated in training, tube testing. Everything.” May of ‘74, they’d already offered me a job,” she recalled. Starting with HLA, Irma soon found herself and her Shortly thereafter, Irma was selected to work in the team going through growing pains at STRBB’s downtown HLA area, a breakthrough science at the time. location, on McCullough Avenue. “HLA stands for human leukocyte antigen and it’s a “It was considered a historical building, so therefore white cell antigen,” Irma said. “So, at the time, HLA really we couldn’t make any changes to anything regarding wasn’t in the books. At the time, I was the one selected the building,” she said. “The laboratory was on the very to learn about this and bring it to San Antonio, I guess. Irma Villarreal hasn’t done it all in 40 years with the organization. But she’s come close. Years ago when I was an intern for a nonprofit, I was told the best way to learn how to build a nonprofit is to understand all the pieces. Irma knows each piece of our organization and helped to put us together. To talk to Irma is like taking a trip through time: A time of great change and incredible adaptability that few have had the opportunity to overcome.
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DOING IT ALL
l reigns as our longest-tenured employee bottom floor. The only test that was required at the time was the hepatitis test. “Things started happening in the 80s. All this testing. (But) we couldn’t put in any equipment. We were dying down there trying to get enough space etc., for all the equipment pending the FDA approvals, and all the mandates.” The ‘90s brought an even more interesting change. For the first time, there was competition. As Irma shares, in the beginning, business was healthy, so to speak, with no competition to speak of. “Back in the late ‘90s one of the things that was a threat was artificial blood, synthetic blood,” she said. “We cannot rely solely on blood because it’s going to go away. At that time, we decided to go into the testing.” In order to diversify, it was time to embrace technology. Irma jumped in to do whatever she could to help, even installing and implementing the first computer system for laboratory testing. “Of course, everything was so manual,” Irma said. “We had all these people but it was slow. Automation is going to take its place.” Another true test of change came from the top. “(The FDA) would sit down and chit-chat,” she said. “Come for a cup of coffee and be on their merry way. That is it. That changed when HIV came out. Which was in ‘84 or ‘85 thereabouts. At that time, the FDA had to take this seriously. Therefore, they really had to come in and take care.” Moving forward to diversity against competition, we sought certification that had never been given to a blood bank before. Guess who was right there to help us grow, yet again? Yep, Ms. Irma. “It was the monster of a project but at the same time it was well worth it,” Irma said. “So that’s when again we finally agreed or got sold on the concept that in order to make ourselves different from other laboratories or other blood centers, ISO certification was going to help us in that arena.” ISO certification is a seal of approval stating that our organization adheres to one of the international standards
Irma Villarreal played a major part in the implementation of laboratory systems.
developed and published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and is stable and ready for growth. The South Texas Blood & Tissue Center was the first blood center in North America to achieve registration to the ISO 9002 Quality System Standards. If you find yourself in the Quality area of the Donor Pavilion, you will see Irma’s crowning achievement, a portrait of her wearing the crown she deserves. If you ask her, our successes are due to a team effort. “This organization has gone through so much,” Irma said. “In all honesty, I have a great deal of respect for the organization and the leaders of the organization. I know and have confidence that these leaders are going to get the organization to the right spot. “It’s been a great ride and I’ve loved every minute of it.” n
Story by Angelica Sandoval
BIOBRIDGE GLOBAL | HEART TO HEART | WINTER 2024
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NEWS |
Read all about it! Here’s looking at you, BBG: Happy 50th anniversary Through the years, our organization has done a lot to celebrate its history, including some remarkably researched annual reports. But this year is the first major milestone when we have such a rich diversity of media. From printed materials to digital assets to historical artifacts, we’re telling our five-decade story like never before. Here are some of the things we have planned for you (or already have started) in 2024:
bulletin board next to the project where you can leave your own notes, memories and/ or artifacts, too.
This Week in BBG History: Every Monday, we’ll post noteworthy notes from our history on One BBG, the One BBG News Digest and the digital sign system. Some will be short stories, many will include rare photos and some will have archive and original videos.
Spring Heart to Heart: This special edition of the magazine will feature “A Day in the Life of BBG,” with photos and notes of what you were doing on Leap Day (Feb. 29, 2024) at work. You’re encouraged to send your photos and notes to David King or Angelica Sandoval in Corporate Communications.
BBG History Project: Check out artifacts from our history, from classic blood donor T-shirts to a hard hat from the Donor Pavilion groundbreaking, on the third floor of the Headquarters Building, just past the main elevators. There’s a
The metal sign on the front of the organization’s first home, at 112 Auditorium Circle. Keeping track of collections and drives was a manual process in the time before computers.
The Timeline: Get a large-scale glimpse at our history with a one-of-a-kind timeline, running along the west wall in the Headquarters Building the rear hallway.
BBG Week: We’ll be throwing ourselves a big birthday party May 6-10, marking the anniversary of the first-ever South Texas Regional Blood Bank drive (which just happened to be with the City of San Antonio). Each subsidiary will have
a special day that week, and it will be culminated with a special event that will include the premiere of a new BBG music video as well as special guests and a big ol’ cake. Summer BBG Summit/Heart to Heart: For the second BBG Summit of the year and its accompanying magazine, we’ll be turning the clock forward 50 years – looking at where our organization is headed, who’s leading us into the future and what a BBG in the year 2074 might look like. n
Red & White Ball exceeds fundraising goal The 2023 Red & White Ball raised more than $731,000 from 670 guests, donors and volunteers. The Blood & Tissue Center Foundation’s signature event soared past its goal and wound up providing seven much-needed delivery and utility vehicles to South Texas Blood & Tissue. The proceeds also helped fund a new digital sign to be erected in front of the Headquarters Building later this year. The Foundation’s Chairman’s Award was presented to Alli and Danny Kustoff. They joined the board in 2009 and have provided leadership as Foundation chairs, Red & White Ball chairs and various other committees. The Corazon Award was presented to Mayor Ron Nirenberg, who donates blood on a regular basis and frequently uses his platform to draw attention to the critical need for blood donations. n
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BBG’s Inclusion: A Pillar of BBG’s Culture Laura Eickhoff | Senior Director, Human Resources & Learning The culture of an organization is the result of the spontaneous development that occurs when the leadership’s vision embraces a purposeful mission and translates it into a business framework. In other words, we, as team members, do not choose the culture in which we operate: the culture presents itself to us. Several years ago, when BBG adopted the ASPIRE model, it did so by choosing values like Stewardship, Pioneer and Integrity that reflected who we already were and the behaviors that we were committed to modeling. I remember colleagues asking me: “Why don’t we adopt the Disney culture model? Or the Chick-Fil-A? Or the Southwest Airlines?” It is simple: we are not any of those organizations. We are BBG, and, as such, we have our own unique world view, mission, and priorities. Culture must be an authentic expression of the organization it defines. One of the defining, legacy foundations of BBG’s culture is the pillar of Inclusion. Look around and admire
the tapestry of diverse personal backgrounds that our team members bring to the table. Every continent of the world is represented among our ranks. Many of our jobs are highly specialized and hard to fill. Among many other things, BioBridge is truly Global in its ability to attract talent from all over the world. We are a diverse organization as far as gender, generational affiliation, religious background and sexual orientation. BBG offers benefits to same-sex spouses even though this is not required by law. We have a tradition of reconciling our differences and capitalizing on them. Diversity is a big part of our strength, and Inclusion is a big part of our culture. To learn more about the diverse backgrounds of our team members, take a few minutes every week to look at the Diversity calendar that is housed on the Human Resources page of OneBBG. Every month you will learn about unique types of celebration, and the history behind each landmark. You can discover interesting trivia about international countries, famous historical figures, and notable anniversaries. An appreciation of our team’s diversity helps us understand the reason for those differences that may occasionally get in the way of our collaboration. Understanding, as always, breeds acceptance. Here is to BBG’s diversity, and its practice of Inclusion!
Benefits Recap Thank you for completing your 2024 open enrollment for benefits! During such a busy time of year, we appreciate you taking the time to complete these important selections. Here are a few plan highlight reminders: ID CARDS • Everyone enrolled in our UMR medical plan will receive a new medical ID card for 2024. If you do not receive it by the first week in January, please visit the UMR.com website to request one. • I f you are a new enrollee into the EyeMed Vision plan, you will receive a new ID card. If you are currently enrolled and renewed coverage for 2024, you may continue to use your same ID card.
• There are no ID cards for dental with MetLife. • If you are a new enrollee in the Medical Flexible Spending Account (FSA), you will receive a new FSA card. If you currently have an FSA card, please continue to use that FSA card, and confirm the expiration date.
COVERAGE CONFIRMATION We encourage you to check and confirm your 2024 benefit selections using the BSwift portal. When you log into BSwift, scroll down to “My Benefits”. It defaults to your current 2023 benefits. To the right, you can change the effective date to: 1/1/2024 and your 2024 benefits will appear. BENEFITS So many ways to make it easy to make YOU a priority: •M edical – UMR • Dental – MetLife • Vision – EyeMed •V oluntary Products: Voya • Pharmacy – US-RXCare • Tria Health – Pharmacists ready to discuss your meds with you
SUBSIDIARIES:
•A IMM – Care Management •S criptSourcing – Name Brand and Specialty Brands Meds at $0 cost to you •R eal Appeal for Weight Loss Management (through UMRs Medical Plan) •R ocket Lawyer – Legal Services •A irrosti – Pain Management Services
• EAP - Aetna Resources for Living and TalkSpace • 3 Perks Programs with Discounts! Found on One BBG under “Deals & Perks” at the bottom of the Home page • BBG Onsite Clinic in SA and Direct Med Care in GA
Wishing you all a very healthy and happy 2024! Cheers to YOU!
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BOARD MEMBERS Individuals who have served on the organization’s board of directors, 1974-present: Oscar Abbott MD Marcia Alvarez Sister Angela Clare Moran Omega Arteaga-Gamboa Floyd W. Baker, MD Don A. Beeler Michael D. Beldon Robert G. Brakey Steven R. Brook Randi Brosterman Hutchens Stuart Chamblin MD Henry Christopher Elvira Cisneros Luis Cisneros MD Sid Cockrell Stephen C. Cohen MD Charles A. Coltman Jr. MD Arland Cook Jose Coronado Jack Costello J. Charlene Davis PhD Dennis E. Dawson Neil Denton Everett (Rick) Donowho Jr. MD PhD John W. Douglas William Dunn Susan R. Ehrman Dennis Fallen MD John Feik Larkin Fields Lou Fox Jeannie Frazier R. Matthew Freund Steven F. Fry Louis Garcia David Garrett Roger Gary Dana Gasparek CPA Kenneth (Kenny) Gindy Armando Gonzalez MD Yasan Gooding PhD Donald J. Gordon MD
Robert F. Gossett MD Brigida Gottf ried MD Fernando Guerra MD John Hanshaw Warren Harding Wade Harrington Chantal Harrison MD James Hayes Jim Hayes David Henkes MD R. Wayne Hilliard PhD Joseph Holahan MD John Hornbeck Anthony Infante MD PhD Carmault B. Jackson Jr. MD Norman Jacobs MD Avram Jacobson MD Samuel C. Jefferson MD Clifford Jeff ris Donald H. Jenkins MD Norman D. Kalmin MD Michael Kreager Martin J. Landon Leonard E. Lawrence MD Frank Ledford MD C. Fred LeMaistre MD Fred C. LeMaistre MD Pat LeMay Burr PhD Charles Lerner MD George Livesay, MD Jenice N. Longfield MD Jose Lopez MD Caliann T. Lum MD Roger Lyons MD Thomas M. McNish MD Dan M. McQueen MD Linda K Meyers Blanca Molina MD Paul Myers Jr. PhD Seth Newberger Gabriele Niederauer PhD Ruskin C. Norman MD Joseph P. O’Brien
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Henry Perkins MD Margie A. Peters MD Gregg C. Popovich Barry Portnoy MD Dan Quill Al Rajwani Bill D. Rasco Col. Robert Read Albert Richmond MD Charles W. Robinson MD Col. Henry Rockstroh Tom Roddy Lawrence R. Roos David Rose James Rosenblatt Jenna Saucedo-Herrera John Seidenfeld MD C.W. Shirley CFA Emily Skillman Harry Smith Bruce Sorensen Cathy Spadaccini MD Dennis Stahl Eugene T. Standley MD Bill Stebbins Mary Stefl PhD Karen Stiefel PhD William H. Stone PhD Michael Sulak MD J.B. Toland Vernon Torgerson Jr. Kenneth P. Trevett JD John L. VandeBerg PhD Suzanne Wade Darryl G. Waldron PhD Richard Wayne MD Ben White Thomas Williams MD Gary V. Woods Mark Wright Susan Yerkes James Young PhD
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From the Corner Office increase the frequency of donations to closer to four times per year, from our current two-times-per-year level…a challenge for sure, but worth pursuing!
2. Maintain good stewardship and expand mission by achieving a sustainable quarterly contributed surplus in Advanced Therapies and our consolidated annual net operating surplus budget. As we’ve discussed, the practice
of medicine is moving toward more personalized/ precision medicine utilizing cell and gene therapies. We’ve made investments to support the development of new cell and gene (Advanced) Therapies in each of our operating areas, and while we’ve seen early growth, we have not yet achieved the critical mass necessary to make this area of our operations selfsustainable. But we think we are close, and in fact, we believe we can make that happen by the end of June 2024. When we achieve this, every area of our operations will be able to grow on its own and in conjunction with complementary product and service offerings. At that point, the sky is the limit for us! And of course, we want to add additional years to our current record of good stewardship and continue producing a net operating surplus each year.
3. Expand our mission and diversify our customer base by adding new customer contracts of more than $10 million in 2024. Our expanded capabilities have opened new markets, i.e., expanded our mission, to include new customers. To grow our mission and protect against customer consolidation, we must continue to seek and add new customers while growing the level of products and/or services we provide to our current ones. Our 2024 plan includes adding new customers with annual contract values of at least $10 million, helping us to continue expanding our mission and helping us learn new things.
4. Retain our valued employees by keeping our voluntary turnover rate below 16%. We recognize our employees are our
most valuable asset, and we’ve put together programs, compensation and benefits, to make this a good working environment so our people will stay and grow with us. In 2023, our plan called for us keep voluntary turnover below 17.7%. We were able to achieve that. Now in 2024, we want to move that goal a bit lower, to 16%, which would be best-in-class compared to other independent blood centers around the country. Our employee health clinic, leadership development and mentoring programs, competitive compensation, and culture programs all play a part in making this a great place to work and develop your careers.
5. Improve operational excellence by increasing GenCure clean room utilization (bioproduction) by more than 20%. This last goal represents a key component
in making our Advanced Therapies segment selfsustainable. We have a few customers (therapeutic developers) ready to move into Phase III clinical trials and we also have some potential customers in the pipeline with commercial production needs. Our team and facility are ready to go – now we must increase the utilization of this great facility and team.
You’ll hear much more and be invited to attend numerous 50th anniversary events this year. Please participate and enjoy them where possible. But let’s keep climbing, let’s keep growing. There are no limits! Onward and upward, Marty
BBG birth announcements Employee: Courtney Arsuaga Child: Giovanni Axel Perez Date of birth: Jan. 11, 2022 Weight: 7 pounds 4 ounces
Employee: Sergio Montelongo Child: Cecilia Violet Date of birth: Oct. 30, 2023 Weight: 7 pounds 5 ounces
Employee: Christina Nava Child: Dalisay Nava Date of birth: Aug. 2, 2023 Weight: 1 pound 10 ounces
Employee: Haruna Easterling Child: Brycen Edward Cardenas Date of birth: July 7, 2023 Weight: 7 pounds 6 ounces
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THE SAN ANTONIO LIGHT – Oct. 25, 1975
Blood Bank Adds Bloodmobile THE KEY TO THE NEW Winnebago Bloodmobile donor unit is presented by C.C. “Pop” Gunn (R), sales manager of Gunn Motor Home Center, which built the unit for the South Texas Regional Blood Bank. Receiving the air conditioned unit, which is equipped with stereo music and other innovations designed to make giving blood as pleasant as possible, are (from left) Dr. Bob Gossett, president of the Blood Bank; Dr. Bill Pipes, president of the Bexar County Medical Society; and Mayor Lila Cockrell. The new Bloodmobile will soon be seen as various shopping centers.
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