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PHILADELPHIA, PA—28 April 2009—David and Alice Schwartz, founders of Bio-Rad Laboratories, will receive the Chemical Heritage Foundation’s (CHF) fourth annual Richard J. Bolte Sr. Award for Supporting Industries. The presentation will be part of CHF's eighth annual Heritage Day on Thursday, 14 May 2009, a full day of awards and honors.
“Bio-Rad started out with an idea and a single virus for sale to researchers,” said Tom Tritton, president and CEO of CHF. “Today, Bio-Rad is one of the most well-respected distributors of biomedical reagents, clinical diagnostics, and research tools in the world, and we are proud to honor David and Alice Schwartz for their vision, direction, and dedication to supporting the life sciences industry.”
About David and Alice Schwartz
David and Alice Schwartz first met in a class at the University of California Berkeley, where they both graduated, David with a degree in Chemistry and Alice with a degree in Biochemistry. The idea that would soon launch the company came about during a student bridge game in 1952. During the card game, the players joked about products that weren’t on the market that maybe ought to be. Someone suggested creating and marketing “tobacco mosaic virus,” a virus Alice had been using for scientific research and which required many days to prepare. Dave questioned why no one was manufacturing it.
The following day, Dave and Alice searched their neighborhood in Berkeley for a place to launch a company that would accelerate the scientific discovery process by providing products and tools to researchers. While they soon discovered that the world was not eagerly awaiting tobacco mosaic virus, Dave and Alice persisted. They developed other more marketable research products and the company survived and grew.
Bio-Rad has maintained the entrepreneurial spirit of its founders and has evolved into a global enterprise, manufacturing and distributing a broad range of products for the life science research and clinical diagnostics markets. It is renowned worldwide among hospitals, universities, major research institutions as well as biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.
About the CHF Award for Supporting Industries
The inaugural presentation of the CHF Award for Supporting Industries at Heritage Day 2006 went to Richard Bolte, Sr., founder of BDP International, a major logistics supplier to the chemical industry. The award will be presented annually by CHF to recognize outstanding contributions by a leader who provides products or services vital to the continuing growth and development of the chemical and molecular sciences community. In 2007 Eugene Garfield received the award, and in 2008 Jerry Sudarsky won the award.
About the Chemical Heritage Foundation
The Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) fosters an understanding of chemistry’s impact on society. An independent nonprofit organization, we strive to
- Inspire a passion for chemistry;
- Highlight chemistry’s role in meeting current social challenges; and
- Preserve the story of chemistry across centuries.
CHF maintains major collections of instruments, fine art, photographs, papers, and books. We host conferences and lectures, support research, offer fellowships, and produce educational materials. Our museum and public programs explore subjects ranging from alchemy to nanotechnology. |
