A new marketing communications firm located in downtown Milwaukee will focus on serving the biotechnology and medical services industries.
Colin Hutt launched Primum LLC in October at 400 E. Wisconsin Ave. Hutt said the growth and prospective future of the biotechnology and medical services industries prompted him to start his own firm.
The word primum means "first" and "as soon as possible" in Latin and reflects the vision of the company, Hutt said.
"I am focusing on this sense of urgency for delivery," he said.
The biotech and medical device industries are growing rapidly, Hutt said. With Primum, he hopes to serve the life science industry as a whole, including working with health care providers, medical device manufacturers and pharmaceutical firms.
Hutt worked with the biotech industry from the venture capitalist side when he was employed at Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc. in Milwaukee and from the advertising side when he worked at Avicom Marketing Communications in Waukesha.
"I saw the need for a public relations firm that focused on biotechnology and had the quiet confidence to fill that need," Hutt said.
Hutt said he hopes to combine his public relations expertise with his knowledge of the industry to help companies be more successful.
Wisconsin alone has more than 300 bioscience companies, Hutt said.
The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), Washington D.C., will hold its annual international conference, BIO2006 in Chicago in April. The event will mark the first time the conference will be held in the Midwest.
BIO chose Chicago for the conference because of the region’s universities, the amount of venture capital available for start-up companies and for its number of established biotech companies, the organization said.
Hutt expects the conference to present many opportunities for biotech companies in Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
"The BIO2006 will give companies the opportunity to step into the spotlight on a national and international level," Hutt said.
Hutt hopes to help companies tailor their messages and hopes to serve as the marketing conscience for organizations.
"My core business philosophy is to always look for what is missing," he said. "The minimum is to refine what is there, and a lot of people in the industry do that."
Primum has two divisions. Primum.Life focuses on biotech and medical marketing communications, and Primum Marketing Communications focuses on any variety of company or organization.
Primum currently offers public relations services. Hutt said he plans to grow Primum in employees and services as needs and opportunities arise.
Hutt’s goal is for Primum to be a full-service marketing communications firm with multi-media, graphic design and advertising capabilities.
The company’s 2,500 square-foot location can accommodate eight to 10 additional employees, Hutt said.
"We’ve seen tremendous promise and some outstanding successes from area biotechnology and medical companies, and now is the time for them to fully capitalize on their innovations," Hutt said. "These organizations deserve a partner dedicated to their specific needs. Primum was formed with the goal of making it easier for Midwest life science firms to get their message out."
