MSU Bioeconomy Institute is new site for supplier’s West Mich. expansion

Single Source Procurement, a full-service, life-sciences instrument and supply room management company, is the newest tenant at the Michigan State University Bioeconomy Institute in Holland, Mich.

The company, founded in 2003 by former Pfizer purchasing executive Robert Engster (photo at left), is headquartered in Kalamazoo, Mich., and also has another facility in Ann Arbor, Mich. 

According to Engster, Single Source Procurement is serving a key need in Michigan’s drive to become a more entrepreneurial, more bioeconomy-focused region. “All of these start-up biochemical and biofuel companies are too small and often don’t have the staff expertise to negotiate the best deals on the supplies and services they need to run their new businesses. They are scientists and inventors, not licensed purchasing agents.”

Randy Thelen, president of Lakeshore Advantage, a West Michigan economic development organization that partners with Michigan State University in the MSU Bioeconomy Institute, agrees. “If we are to succeed in growing new businesses here, especially new biotechnology-based businesses with highly specialized needs, we have to be sure we are nurturing those service providers who create the infrastructure for their growth.”

Even more important, says Thelen, Single Source Procurement represents a positive economic trend for the state. “When a Michigan-based business sees opportunity for expansion within the state instead of only outside the state, that’s good news for everyone.”

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The MSU Bioeconomy Institute, operates in a 138,000-square-foot R&D facility donated by Pfizer Inc. The mission of the institute is to extend campus research and development capabilities and to support the state’s emerging bioeconomy, including biofuels, bio-based chemicals and biomaterials. Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for more than 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 17 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving. For more information, please contact Loraine Hudson, MSU Research Facilitation and Dissemination, at (517) 432-4499.

Lakeshore Advantage provides incubator management and support services for start-up companies and entrepreneurs.  For more information, please contact Randy Olinger, Lakeshore Advantage, at (616) 395-8974.