From staff reports

DURHAM -- The N.C. Biotechnology Center has hired Gwyn Riddick, director of its Piedmont Triad Office, to assume a newly created position as vice president of the Ag/Bio Initiative.

Riddick will help launch an initiative from the Biotechnology Center and partners statewide to grow the state's agricultural economy to $100 billion during the next 10 years, according to the Biotech Center, headquartered in Durham's Research Triangle Park.

One of every $6 generated in North Carolina today comes from agriculture, the Biotech Center said, and rural residents' contributions of food, fiber, fuel and flowers add not only to the state's $70 billion agricultural economy, but preserve a historical way of life as well.

"We have a deep history and tremendous assets in agriculture in North Carolina," said Norris Tolson, president and CEO of the center. "We identified this opportunity to combine that heritage and our strength in new technology to create wealth across the state of North Carolina, and to improve the quality of life for people around the world."

Riddick brings more than 40 years of experience to his new post -- in education, consumer products, diagnostics, blood products and pharmaceuticals including human and animal vaccines.

"We have hardly begun to tap the natural, renewable resources of agriculture that will benefit mankind," he said. "Integrating biotechnology and agriculture is an integral platform for our future, and I am eager to get started."

Before joining the Biotechnology Center six years ago, Riddick was a faculty member of N.C. State University and served as Guilford County director of the Cooperative Extension Service. He later directed the economic development and business and industry education programs at Guilford Technical Community College. He was also CEO of his own horticultural company.

He's starting his new job working with a blueprint developed by more than 100 statewide leaders in agriculture, crop technology and policy, a group called "Growing North Carolina's AgBiotech Landscape."

The group was led by former Gov. Jim Hunt and Steven Burke, formerly senior vice president of corporate affairs at the Biotech Center and now president and CEO at the Biofuels Center of North Carolina.

The group's final report outlines actions in six areas:

- Create an agricultural biotechnology advisory committee

- Catalog and strengthen existing resources and partnerships

- Coordinate commercialization and application of agricultural biotechnology

- Develop commercialization opportunities in marine and animal biotechnology

- Enhance education and public awareness

- Engage state and community leaders

Leaders from the many North Carolina organizations that work in agricultural biotechnology will make up the advisory committee. That includes representatives of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, associations of farmers, commodity trade groups, funding agencies, the state's two land-grant universities and other research entities.

The committee will coordinate implementation of the other five strategies, which seek to apply research to North Carolina's unique mix of crop, animal and marine resources and make them more useful, marketable and efficient to produce.