Innovation, influence and business in America's medical cities.

BioEnterprise Inc., the bioscienceventure developer in Northeast Ohio, has formalized a partnership with Team NEO to woo new medical imaging, neurostimulation, cardiovascular device and orthopedic companies to the region.

Both nonprofits work in Northeast Ohio andsometimes theybump against each otheror duplicateefforts,said Annette Ballou,director of strategic marketing and communications for BioEnterprise. So the two organizationsdeveloped a strategicplan to jointly attract companies in these four industries.

“We’re going to be the front-runners,” Ballou said. “We’lldo the cold calls, the meet-and-greets” with out-of-region companies. “We’ll pull Team NEO in when we find a company that’s interested in moving here. BioEnterpriseis the industry expert in these areas.We’re not the relocation expert.”

ButTeam NEO is. “This was thenatural progression between two partners that have different areas of expertise but a common goal–to advance the region’s economy,” said Carin Rockind, vice president of marketing and communications for Team NEO.

“Collectively, we’vebeen able to do a lot together,” Rockind said. Now, it’s time to take the relationship another step.”Let’shave joint metrics andleverage both of our skills … toincrease the number of leads from medical device companies, converting those leads into new company attractions and new job creation,” she said.

Foundedin 2002 by the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University and Summa Health System, BioEnterprise forms,develops and recruits bioscience companies.The organization that now includes the Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron also helps organizations commercialize their bioscience technologies. Its president and chief executive, Baiju Shah, isknown for histireless networking withventure capitalists worldwide tobring them together with local companies.

Team NEO, which alsogoes by the name Cleveland Plus Business, especiallyoutside the region, markets Northeast Ohio andattractscompanieshere. Started in 2005, the organizationuses its economic research tomarket the region to site selectors, real estate consultants and companies. Italso connects relocating companies with state and local incentives, such as tax credits for creating jobs.

In recent years, Team NEO hasconcentrated on building research inindustrial sectors, such as biomedical. The organization also has developeda working relationship withthe Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center (GCIC), thestate’s onlyWright Mega-Center of Innovation that isfunded by the Ohio Third Frontier project andled by the Cleveland Clinic. Team NEO’s Tom Sudow is the vice president of attraction who works solely on behalf of the cardiovascular innovation center.

BioEnterprise is involved with the GCIC, too. But while the bio organization might contributeacademic, clinical, technologytransfer and venture funding expertise to companies launching in the center,Team NEO would supplythesite selection, tax incentive, supply chain and workforcetalent.

Late last year,the organizations quietlylaunched a Web page that reflects their joint biomedical company recruitment effort. “We’re looking at this being a model” for partnerships in other industries, Rockind said.