[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 41 (Thursday, March 4, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S1118]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         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.

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