In Search Of Excellence: BioMedenetix

BioMedenetix is on the cutting edge of the growing Biotech industry and promises to bring much-needed hope to a region gutted by the ongoing elimination of American Manufacturing jobs. Led by a man with a Hobbit-like mischievous grin and over 35 years of being allowed inside one of America's largest pharmaceutical companies by Security, it is definitely a company to watch.

Watching it is what we did on a recent visit to the campus. On arrival we noticed a shuttle bus. At first we thought: what a good corporate citizen BM is, providing transportation to employees in the area to cut down on fuel costs and pollution in the community. Then we noticed the bus never left the parking lot, which was approximately the size of the parking lot at an average American High School. Actually a small to mid size High School, or perhaps a church parking lot in a small town, a church for one of the smaller denominations, like Seventh Day Adventists maybe. If nothing else, it showed a commitment to employee's well being, assuming the employees get exercise in some other manner than by walking from their car to the front door.

We decided to try out this bit of corporate pampering for ourselves. While this is not on the level of the on-site masseuse of the dot-com era, nor Google's fabled chef who used to be THE CHEF FOR THE GRATEFUL DEAD, it is something anyway. We appreciated the heating on the brisk, 42 degree Midwestern day, and enjoyed 23 seconds of some inoffensive pop music played on the bus's sound system. Neither the bus driver nor the riders emitted any offensive odors, and in general it was nothing like the horrific experiences chronicled in Wesley Willis' lyrics, like these from 'Get On The City Bus':

The 11 Lincoln bus came to my stop
As I got off the bus, I told the male bus driver to shove a broomstick up his ass
He got so tired of my disharmonious bullshit
He threatened to clock a transfer puncher upside my head

As a matter of fact, the bus driver was very courteous and professional, if slightly dizzy.

Next time: Pre-chewed food: the next big thing in corporate food service?