Ohio Life Sciences (OLS), the state association advancing and advocating for the common interests of Ohio’s life sciences community, today announced a new program to provide its members considerable cost savings on goods, professional services and other materials.
The Ohio Life Sciences Advantage Purchasing Program will offer OLS members discounts on laboratory supplies, safety materials, energy and other goods and services commonly used by the life sciences industry. Although many life sciences trade associations in other states offer savings programs, OLS Advantage is the first in the nation to be designed and developed locally, focusing where possible on savings through companies either based in Ohio or with operations in the state.
OLS has negotiated and signed contracts with multiple providers, including Fisher Scientific, American Nitrile, IGS Energy, Cintas, CyberSure, Marsh McLennan Agency and Wright Brothers Global Gas & Vendor Managed Gas. Additional providers are expected to be added in the coming weeks and months.
“This program is specifically tailored to meet the needs of Ohio’s life sciences organizations,” said Eddie Pauline, OLS president and CEO. “Research and development is sophisticated work, requiring the best tools and products. As the state’s industry trade association, we feel a responsibility to help Ohio’s life sciences companies steward their budgets responsibly, and to give them access to the best possible materials at the best possible prices.”
The program could save member institutions tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. The agreement with Fisher Scientific, for example, includes discounts on lab and safety supplies, equipment, chemicals, reagents and value-added services, and provides an average discount of 51% off Fisher Scientific’s list prices.
The association put special emphasis on partnering with Ohio companies where possible. For example, American Nitrile — one of the world’s foremost producers of research gloves — is based in Grove City, Ohio. Wright Brothers Global Gas is the country’s largest woman-owned national gas supplier, servicing several industry verticals, including industrial, life sciences, and research and development. VMG (Vendor Managed Gas) was created by Wright Brothers to offer affordable telemetry solutions to remotely monitor gas levels, gas supplies and overall gas system performance. Cincinnati’s CyberSure, delivers cyber risk mitigation and management while helping members meet cyber insurance requirements.
“When Ohio-based companies do business with one another, it helps the entire life sciences industry ecosystem in Ohio grow,” Pauline said. “We are excited to invest in that ecosystem through OLS Advantage.”
About Ohio Life Sciences
OLS is Ohio’s life science industry trade association, representing an industry that includes more than 4,200 businesses statewide. Ohio Life Sciences convenes and advocates on behalf of biotech, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, labs, digital health, gene and cell therapy, agricultural biotechnology, and research and academic institutions throughout Ohio. OLS is the voice representing and advocating for the common interests of our life sciences community.