focm | FOCM Networking

FOCM Surprise Event

It was a typical Halloween Eve evening, weather-wise in Raleigh, North Carolina. It should come as no shock to anyone that it was also October 30. I’d rather hastily organized the 10/30 FOCM event just the day before as Brian Langin was coming to town. Brian has the distinction of receiving the first FOCM card ever handed out. So clearly, he was worthy of me getting people together.

Brian was first to arrive, followed by me and then surprise, surprise, surprise, Paula Brown Stafford joined us. Paula and I have known each other for 22 years when I first started in the clinical research industry working at Quintiles together. She has said to keep her on the FOCM event distribution lists as someday she just might surprise me and show up.

In what can only be described as one of the happiest moments of her life, Paula received her FOCM card.

It was a fun evening. Others in attendance: Rob Sucharski, Duncan Shaw, Peter Payne, Lauren Sherwood, Heather Malinowski*, Steve Young, Peter Weiman*.

*1st time attendees

FOCM Welcomes New Members

On a warm, pleasant evening in October, the 1st day of the month to be precise, a significant event in FOCM history occurred; 4 new members received their cards.

I was in the RTP area to attend the Arena International Clinical Trial Supply Southeast meeting and hosted a FOCM networking event at the Sheraton Imperial Lobby Bar.

Attending that night were long time* members as well as first timers+. As best I can recall, the following people were there: Michael Williams*, Kris Gustafson*, Mike Burrows*, Rosina Pavia*, Paul Oldfield*, Tim Sauls*, David Holland, Carolyn Waff+, Lauren Sherwood, Israel Bocanegra+, Shae Wilkins* (traveled the farthest) .

Receiving their membership cards were: Lauren Sherwood, Carolyn Waff, David Holland and Israel Bocanegra. As you can expect, emotions ran high during the card ceremony, with many people wiping tears from their eyes. The look of sheer joy on their faces the moment they realized they’d completed the sometimes long, sometimes short, but neverthless arduous and rigorous initiation process.

LaunchBio NC Networking

LaunchBio (LaunchBio) holds events on the first Thursday of the month in Durham, NC. They are held in the Chesterfield Building in the downtown area. The building was formerly a cigarette manufacturing building. It has now been converted and there is incubator lab space for drug discovery and development.

It is a great opportunity for networking with people involved in the clinical research industry. Here I am enjoying a Durty Bull Lager beer and conversation with Peter Weiman and David Holland (they’re drinking the IPA that was being served).

FOCM New Members and DIA 2018

FOCM was busy before and at the DIA convention in Boston in June. FOCM along with Zymewire, Investigator Support Services, Kwipped and DataMatrix sponsored the 2nd annual Sunday night networking event before DIA exhibits opened. In the exhibit hall, FOCM gave its seal of approval to several vendors, assisTek being one. Unfortunately, the Arizona State Sun Devil hand sign snuck into the picture. In the shadow on the table, it appears to be a weapon of some kind.

At the recent annual Drug Information Association (DIA) meeting held in Boston last month, two outstanding individuals completed the grueling probationary period, thorough background checks and initiation process. Please join me in welcoming Andrew Suri and Megan Carson to FOCM. As others who have received their membership cards, the ceremony itself can be emotionally draining. This was no exception, the sheer joy on their faces tells the story.

Andrew is Director of Business Development for Clinogix. Megan is Assistant Project Manager at assisTek.

Quotes of Winston Churchill

I received a gift from a friend of a book entitled “The Wicked Wit of Winston Churchill” compiled by Dominique Enright and several struck me as particularly noteworthy, really speaking either to my sense of humor or my beliefs, which I share with you below:

“if I valued the honourable gentleman’s opinion, I might get angry”, Churchill responded calmly when an Ulster Member shouted “contemptible” during a … debate in the House.

and a favorite of mine – “The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.”

“Trying to maintain good relations with a Communist is like wooing a crocodile. You do not know whether to tickle it under the chin or beat it over the head. When it opens its mouth, you cannot tell whether it is trying to smile or preparing to eat you up.”

“The worst quarrels only arise when both sides are equally in the right and in the wrong.”

“Criticism is easy; achievement is difficult.”

“of this I am quite sure, that if we open a quarrel between the past and the present, we shall find we have lost the future.”

FOCM Networking Meeting Minutes March 12, 2018

Report filed from Outpost RTP:

March 12, 2018

It was a bitterly cold and snowy night that caused all but the bravest souls to stay in their warm homes. Only a select few dared to venture out into the third major winter storm in March.

FOCM members are nothing if not brave, courageous, oh and, thirsty, let’s not forget that. So there we were on March 12, had previously arranged to have this event at a location which will now remain nameless since they closed and didn’t let me know. A quick decision was needed and made. With no time to spare a note was sent out stating we would meet at Mez.

First to arrive at the closed meeting site was Pippa Wilson of Barrington James, second to arrive was Kathleen Finn of Barrington James, third to arrive was Bernie Linner with West Coast Clinical Trials. We then headed to Mez where we met up with the intrepid (yes, I used dictionary.com) FOCM members (Drew Harrison, Steve Caravaglio, Derrick Ferrar, Carol Miller (photo taker), Chad Pollio, Brooks Satterfield and Kasey Karr (not pictured; arrived late, but made up for it by staying late). FOCM NEVER cancels its events due to weather! (of course, FOCM reserves the right to change its rules at any time.)

FOCM at Global Clinical Supplies Conference

The month was April, the year 2016, the event: the #1 clinical research industry’s clinical supplies conference – Global Clinical Supply Group. Several important events happened with photographic evidence to support it.

It was my honor to give a FOCM membership card to one of my favorite co-workers of all-time, Roxann Pinguelo. Is she thrilled or what?

FOCM also welcomed Ryan Jarvis to the organization and Russ Brierley and Renee Brown were on hand to witness these ceremonies.

Russ Brierley, Ryan Jarvis, Roxann Pinguelo, Renee Brown

Historic FOCM Card Ceremony

This FOCM card-membership ceremony was a very significant one for several reasons –

It just happened on November 11, 2017 – making it very recent given my usual delay in posting such things
It’s too important to delay until I catch up
recipient and I probably first met when we were pre-schoolers and
we spent our formative years in that oasis in the desert known as Yuma, AZ
we slow danced to Stairway to Heaven or maybe it was Nights in White Satin in 8th grade
wandered around Yuma on New Year’s Eve with a few friends and a few bottles of Boones Farm wine generously donated by our sisters when we were 13

At the recent Kofa High School reunion, this significant event (photo below) was captured.

Jody (Ambur) Nestell received her FOCM membership card. Other than family members, I believe she is the youngest card-holder that I’ve known the longest. Perhaps only Brady Leffler and Jody’s cousin, Ray Face, if they’re ready to accept the responsibilities of card holdership could surpass this.

FOCM Members at Wilmington NC Event

Here’s an interesting item about FOCM that I just realized comes from my having grown up in a small town in Arizona – if there’s a party in town – join it! You may call it crashing it, but in Yuma, AZ, if there was a wedding reception in town, regardless if you were invited, you went to it. So in that vein, when I organize Wilmington Pharma/Bio/CRO Networking Events in Wilmington, NC, it’s an open call for all FOCM members. While in this case they do belong to the Pharma/Bio/CRO industry, they do also belong to FOCM.

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