This is the third installment of our series with the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce for Women's History Month. Every week in March we will highlight a women in our community that is involved with this year's History Month Theme: Women Inspiring Innovation Through Imagination: Celebrating Women in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics.
Today's guest post is from Nathalie McCrate of the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce - thank you Nathalie for this great feature.


Patti Breedlove is drawn to life’s scientific questions and challenges. As associate director of the University of Florida’s Sid Martin Biotechnology Incubator program Breedlove helps budding biotech companies bring their research to the marketplace by providing mentorship and development facilities. Breedlove is dedicated to making a positive impact. 


“The biotech world is looking for technologies that will help feed and fuel and heal the world; things that involve animal and plants and people. It’s really meaningful work.â€


Breedlove has her M.S. in Health Science from the University of Utah. She educated women and families at Planned Parenthood for 25 years before specializing in biotechnologies. Some professional highlights include: founding one of Utah’s first Planned Parenthood organizations developing Florida’s BioDatabase fostering business growth at Progress Corporate Park (where CMC's office is located) and advancing the bioscience industry through BioFlorida. 


UF Sid Martin companies have attracted more than three quarters of a billion dollars in mergers and acquisitions activity investment grants and contracts since it opened in 1995. The lab/office complex features 22 wet labs $1 million worth of shared equipment animal facilities fermentation facilities and climate-controlled greenhouses. Breedlove explained that 

Gainesville Florida has more density of talent per square foot than any other town because it has a massive research university in a relatively small city.


“You’ll find talented people in roles that you never would have imagined—and it means that there is a lot of arts and culture and a lot of entrepreneurship these days†she said. “It’s a really evolving and exciting community with a good lifestyle.â€
Breedlove believes organizations like 

Innovation Gainesville are important to the community because it (iG) broke down silos and got people talking to people that they otherwise may not have met before. "It built a sense of collaboration and made us more articulate" she said. 

“I think iG really helped us understand how we’re different from other communities in Florida what our bragging rights are and really what’s so wonderful about this placeâ€.
To Patti Breedlove living and working in Gainesville feels like 'we’re all on the same team' and in our community there is a sense that together we are really changing the community in a positive way.