CRB Maryland Celebrates 10 Years of Innovation at Oktoberfest with BioBuzz

In October, CRB Maryland celebrated a decade of advancing BioHealth innovation at its Rockville, Maryland office. The milestone coincided with CRB's annual Oktoberfest, co-organized with BioBuzz, which has become a cherished tradition over the years. The lively event drew over 100 guests, including clients, vendors, and trade partners. CRB attended in full force with interim CEO, Lee Emel, and Co-Founder, Jeff Biskup highlighting the company's commitment and dedication to the BioHealth Capital Region.

A main highlight of the event featured special guest Jon Rowley, Founder & CPO at RoosterBio, Inc. and Partner at Funktional Brewing pouring attendees his functional hazy IPA. This beer seamlessly blends the principles of life science with craft brewing, adding a signature touch for the Oktoberfest celebration.

Attendees had ample opportunity for connection throughout the evening. They participated in short interviews touching on topics ranging from advice for young professionals in the industry to the success of the CRB Maryland Office.

Watch the full video below:

During the event, Ben Skowronski, Senior Director from CRB’s Maryland Office spoke about the company’s time in the BioHealth Capital Region. Skowronski thanked the crowd for their contributions to 10 successful years in the BioHealth Capital Region. 

Skowronski provided a brief history of the start of the Rockville office back in 2015 stating “CRB recognized the geographical gap between our Raleigh NC office and our Philadelphia, PA office and the need to be local and be the best in the Biohealth Capital Region. So, 10 years ago, we planted our flag in Rockville, MD.”

The company has built and expanded around a strong technical foundation in life sciences & manufacturing. The firm has designed some of the most powerful facilities in the world driven by a mission to integrate designs that change lives. The region has seen CRB’s proven enhancements to the industry from building cell & gene therapy facilities that bring revolutionary treatments to patients suffering from rare diseases to designing advanced lab facilities that provide researchers well-thought-out spaces to make breakthroughs in their research. 

“It has been our goal of being local and being the best, but that doesn't happen without strong partnerships with clients, vendors, trade partners and with us all aligning on the ultimate goal of getting products to patients as safely and efficiently as possible” stated Skowronski. 

He continued “CRB is very fortunate to have a strong culture and values and that legacy has absolutely been carried along in the MD office the past 10 years.”

Over the past decade, CRB has delivered transformative projects that illustrate its commitment to the region. Highlights include Emergent’s Bayview location’s flexible and responsive manufacturing facility designed for rapid pandemic responses, CRB’s project to convert an existing building at Macrogenics into a research and CGMP manufacturing site to continue the fight against cancer and many more influential projects at companies like Acell, Catalent, Novavax and GSK.

Attendees also engaged in an opportunity for interactive breakout sessions spotlighting CRB’s Horizons: Life Sciences 2024 report which outlined the latest key trends in the life science industry.

The 2024 report identified three key meta-trends shaping the industry:

• A continued push for increased automation and digitalization across entire facilities.

• An anticipated major shift toward continuous manufacturing over the next decade.

• A growing demand for more efficient and sustainable operations to deliver the products of tomorrow.

As these trends evolve, greater automation and in-line analytics will enable continuous manufacturing, driving both sustainability and operational efficiency.

The 2024 Oktoberfest was a success and showcased not only CRB’s journey but also the strength of the BioHealth Capital Region. By fostering collaboration, CRB’s support and services will continue paving the way to see life science thrive in the region and beyond.