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For over two decades, BioFire Diagnostics has been a key player in Utah's health sciences community. Big changes are coming to BioFire's branding—but company leaders say nothing will change its commitment to Utah and its employees.
BioFire was founded in 1990 in the corner of a potato equipment company. Though its origins were humble, its ambitions were enormous, with BioFire's founders working to develop cutting-edge novel instruments for rapid DNA analysis. In 1999, the fledgling company made a big leap from the farm to University of Utah Research Park, where BioFire scientists could work closely with university researchers to push the frontiers of their technology.
The company's groundbreaking work set a new standard for infectious disease diagnostics. BioFire's revolutionary products and growing success attracted the attention of global diagnostics company bioMérieux, based in France, which purchased BioFire in 2014. "Since that time, BioFire has maintained our brand identity and operations. But we have now reached a critical point where it makes sense to align more closely with bioMérieux," explains Andrea Kendell, CFO North America & SVP Finance Global Manufacturing for bioMérieux.
What this means, says Kendell, is that beginning in January 2022, BioFire products will be folded into bioMérieux's product portfolio. As a company, it will simply be known as bioMérieux.
"We're often asked how to pronounce bioMérieux," Kendell says. "Over the years we've heard it pronounced in many creative ways. But it's not as hard as it looks!" Her advice is to pronounce it "bee-oh-merry-you."
Another question may be how the branding change will impact BioFire's employment and footprint in Utah? It won't—the company's commitment to Utah is as strong as ever, says Kendell.
"We've experienced tremendous growth in the past few years, both in terms of employee count and physical space. Our headcount has grown by 200 percent since 2015, and we occupy over 1 million square feet of facility space in Utah," she says. "In fact, we'll be opening a brand-new, state-of-the-art administrative building in Salt Lake City in the fall of 2021."
BioFire's enduring commitment is backed by the support of bioMérieux, a pioneering biotechnology firm with a footprint in 160+ countries and over 13,000 employees globally. bioMérieux's mission is to improve public health worldwide, and it operates with a strong emphasis on community engagement. To that end, bioMérieux contributed half of its 2019 dividends, or $22 million, to efforts to respond to the COVID-19 health crises—including $1.9 million to efforts here in Utah.
To top it off—bioMérieux is hiring! bioMérieux offers a variety of fulfilling careers in every department, including manufacturing, engineering, finance, sales and marketing, research and development, software development, and many more.
"Together, BioFire and bioMérieux remain committed to combating disease through superior thinking and product innovation," Kendell says. "We're always looking for talented people to help us fulfill our ambition to make the world a healthier place."
