Rachel Hoffman/St. Joe Now

Kelly Gillespie, executive director of the Missouri Biotechnology Association, speaks to Missouri legislators at the Christopher S. ‘Kit’ Bond Science and Technology Incubator. The stop Monday was part of a nine-day tour highlighting life sciences in Missouri.

St. Joseph showcased its avenue of the animal health science corridor Monday to a dozen state lawmakers in hopes that they will remember the region come the 2010 legislative session.

For the second year in a row, the Legislative Bio Tour of Missouri kicked off in St. Joseph.

The group, which was made up of state representatives and one state senator, started at Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, moved to the Nestle Purina Product Technology Center and then wrapped up the morning at the Christopher S. “Kit” Bond Science and Technology Incubator before continuing the tour in Kansas City.

Rep. Jeff Grisamore, a Lee’s Summit Republican, said he was most impressed with the innovation going on in St. Joseph.

“It’s just incredible to think 90 percent of animal vaccines in the world are being produced right here in this local area,” Mr. Grisamore said.

Kelly Gillespie, executive director of the Missouri Biotechnology Association, said the nine-day tour is intended to immerse lawmakers in the state’s life sciences industry so they can help protect the state’s investment.

“It’s important for legislators to understand how broad the life sciences are,” Mr. Gillespie said.

The incubator on the Missouri Western State University campus is one of 10 the state financially supports. For instance, the Kit Bond center received $150,000 from the state.

After just more than a year of operation, the incubator is nearly full of tenants. One slot remains, said Dr. Gary Clapp, president and chief executive officer of the Institute for Industrial and Applied Life Sciences at Western.

He said its laboratory for work force training and community partners sets it apart from other incubators and is helping gain local employers access to qualified employees.

“They are on a roll and I don’t know what it’s going to take to knock them off the block,” Mr. Gillespie said.

The pack of legislators traveled to Kansas City Monday afternoon for a tour that included the Stowers Institute for Medical Research.

They were scheduled to visit sites at the University of Central Missouri and the University of Missouri-Columbia today.

Jim Kroman, executive director of business development at Boehringer Ingelheim, Western President Dr. Bob Vartabedian and Dirck Clark of Heartland Health all are members of the Missouri Biotechnology Association’s board of directors.

Rep. Martin Rucker, a St. Joseph Democrat, was the only member of the local delegation to participate in Monday’s tours.

Alyson E. Raletz can be reached

at alysonraletz@npgco.com.