For Immediate Release: January 22, 2021
Dr. Rebecca Williams-Wagner Of 3Bar Biologics Receives Oaba Safety & Stewardship Award
(Columbus, Ohio) — The Ohio AgriBusiness Association named 3Bar Biologics Principal Scientist Dr. Rebecca Williams-Wagner, PhD winner of the 2021 Excellence in Safety & Stewardship Award.
“I am humbled to be recognized for this award, but I really see safety and stewardship as a team effort, so I am excited for 3Bar to be recognized,” said Dr. Williams-Wagner. “As a small business with a team of eight full-time employees, safety is managed by all members of the team. A culture of safety would be impossible without participation and buy-in from everyone.”
According to Dr. Williams-Wagner, safety starts in the lab by ensuring everyone is conducting research and product development safely. “We ensure the lab is compliant with federal and state regulations for the safe handling of chemical and biological materials. This daily practice of safety and aseptic handling of materials allows us to manufacture a living microbial product that is safe and easy for farmers to use in their planting practices,” said Dr. Williams-Wagner.
Dr. Williams-Wagner pointed to the patented LiveMicrobe™ technology as an example of the 3Bar Biologics commitment to exercise stewardship of the land for future generations. The LiveMicrobe™ technology is a delivery system that ensures on-site fermentation enabling microbes to be used at the peak of their growth cycle.
“A steward is a caretaker, and a good caretaker is someone who approaches all tasks with the best interest of the land in mind. I see 3Bar’s role in manufacturing a delivery system for beneficial microbial products as a way of taking care of the land,” Dr. Williams-Wagner said. “Through the use of our LiveMicrobe™ delivery system, we can help restore some of the microbial activity to the soil, which has been stripped away by using chemicals in agriculture. This helps improve the soil quality and improve plant growth.”
The Excellence in Safety & Stewardship Award is presented annually to nominees who demonstrate safety and stewardship in their professional roles every day and encourage others to follow in their example.
“It is a great honor to recognize outstanding individuals in our industry,” said Chris Henney, OABA President and CEO. “These leaders set a high standard that agribusiness employees across all levels should aspire to achieve.”
Dr. Williams-Wagner earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biology from Otterbein University, and a PhD in Microbiology from The Ohio State University. During graduate school and later as a post-doctoral researcher, she studied physiology and gene regulatory mechanisms of the soil bacterium, Bacillus subtilis, to understand microbial responses to stress. She mentored graduate and undergraduate students in the laboratory setting and was an adjunct faculty member of chemistry and biology at Otterbein and Ohio Dominican Universities. At OSU, she was a founding member of the RNA Biology Student Organization and a recipient of University and Center for RNA Biology Fellowships.
“Becky has been a real leader for 3Bar in creating a safety-first culture and a focus on sustainability for our products and operations. As principal scientist, she leads our research labs in creating safe and sustainable products that are great assets to our customers,” said Bruce Caldwell, CEO and Founder of 3Bar Biologics. “By emphasizing both safety and sustainability, she is helping bring the company’s mission to life: increasing productivity of agriculture while also improving sustainability for generations to come.”
“This award is a great recognition of Becky’s contributions to 3Bar Biologics in both safety and sustainability performance,” Caldwell said. “She has helped the company grow and become better in how we do our work, in the products we create, and the positive impact we make with our customers and partners.”
The Ohio AgriBusiness Association is a membership-based state trade organization established in the late 1800s advocating for the best interests of companies that serve the agricultural industry in the state of Ohio. With more than 225 member companies — which include manufacturers and suppliers of plant nutrient and protection materials, grain warehousing and marketing companies, feed and seed companies, and companies that provide equipment, financial services, and other products and services for the Ohio agricultural industry — the OABA advocates for Ohio agribusiness by creating a healthy business climate through policy leadership, education and communication. For additional information about the OABA, visit oaba.net.
3Bar Biologics is the global leader in customized delivery technologies for living microbe products. 3Bar’s proprietary delivery method unleashes the potential for microbe technologies not available for commercial production until now. Delivering on their promise of stable, viable, fresh and pure microbe products for commercial agriculture, 3Bar partners with innovative companies and research universities to formulate the highest quality and most cost-effective microbe solutions. 3Bar Biologics harnesses the power of microbes to drive profitability for the agriculture industry, while simultaneously reducing its dependence on synthetic chemicals. For more information, visit www.3barbiologics.com.
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To arrange communication and interviews with company contacts, contact:
Tori Smith, PR Director, McDaniels Marketing
Company Contacts:
Rebecca Williams-Wagner, Principal Scientist at 3Bar Biologics
Bruce Caldwell, CEO at 3Bar Biologics