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Congressional Record

REMEMBERING SAM TAYLOR

Mr. Tillis. Madam President, I rise today with my colleague, the senior Senator from North Carolina, to honor the life and work of Sam Taylor, the president of North Carolina Biosciences Organization. Sam was a giant in our State and a leading voice for our vital and innovative life sciences and biopharmaceutical sector. A native North Carolinian, his love for his home State and his commitment to its future always shone through. He was a graduate of North Carolina State University, and he received his law degree with high honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Sam was a dedicated and energetic voice for the biosciences and a terrific partner to those in government and the private sector committed to promoting those industries. This sector has seen remarkable growth in recent years: since 2016, increasing its employment base by 10 percent to reach more than 83,000 jobs in 2018 across 4,210 business establishments. Between 2016 and 2019, the biosciences has attracted more than $1.5 billion in venture capital investment to North Carolina. These successes were in no small part due to Sam and his tireless leadership and advocacy.

Sam was one of the founders of NC BIO in 1994, long before most people grasped the industry’s potential. His advocacy in the business community, in Raleigh, in Washington, and around the world made a huge difference. Whether promoting our world-class universities, our startups, or more established companies, Sam was always there with the facts, the vision, and the sheer force of will to move our State forward. He worked for the creation of the NCBioImpact training collaborative with the NC Community College System’s BioNetwork program, as well as the Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center at North Carolina State University and the Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise program at North Carolina Central University.

Sam’s work was recognized by the North Carolina Council for Entrepreneurial Development in 2005 with the Chairman’s Service Award. He received the Life Science Conference Leadership Award in 2012 and the Life Science Award from Triangle Business Journal in 2015. Just recently and most significantly, he received our State’s highest honor, the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. To say Sam was a giant among men is an understatement. He was a leader and a visionary, someone who truly wanted to make our State and world a better place.

North Carolinians have lost a loyal son and a tireless advocate. We have lost a friend and colleague. Today, we ask every member of this body to join us in honoring the life and amazing legacy of Sam Taylor. Our State and the people of the United States are grateful for his life of service, and we know that North Carolina will continue to be one of our Nation’s life science innovation hubs in no small part due to him.

View the proclamation as a PDF or in the Congressional Record.