S.D. Biotech announces annual award winners

South Dakota Biotech recognized outstanding industry partners recently with awards presented at its annual summit.

The LIVE and Distinguished Collaborator awards were established in 2014 to recognize individuals or organizations with exceptional dedication to advancing biotechnology.

The LIVE Award recognizes leadership, innovation, vision and entrepreneurship of individuals or organizations contributing to South Dakota Biotech and furthering bioscience to heal, fuel and feed the world.

This year’s recipient is Craig Arnold, who most recently served as CEO of Dakota BioWorx.

“When you look at Craig’s career, there is a consistent theme: He sees possibility, and then he does the hard work of turning that possibility into something real,” said Eddie Sullivan, co-founder of SAB Biotherapeutics and a driver behind forming South Dakota Biotech 20 years ago.

“One of Craig’s nominators described him as someone who has spent his career transforming innovative ideas into successful enterprises and building organizations that create lasting economic and societal impact. His experience spans biotechnology, nanotechnology, renewable energy, aerospace, technology and philanthropy.”

At Plymouth Energy, Arnold helped lead the financing, construction and startup of a 50-million-gallon-per-year ethanol facility, securing more than $100 million in debt and equity financing.

Later, at Nanopareil, he helped commercialize nanofiber-based separation technology developed at South Dakota Mines, raising capital, developing intellectual property and ultimately helping position the company for an acquisition by KKR.

Most recently, as CEO of Dakota BioWorx, Arnold has helped build the bridge between scientific discovery and commercial scale. One nomination specifically recognized his steady leadership through the completion of the POET Bioproducts Center, the installation and commissioning of its bioprocessing equipment and the development of a sustainable business model for Dakota BioWorx.

“His nomination described a leader committed to helping other people succeed, whether they are university researchers, entrepreneurs, industry partners or students. He has worked to build not simply individual companies, but the infrastructure, talent and partnerships that allow innovation to take root here in South Dakota,” Sullivan said. “That is what this award is really about.”

The South Dakota Biotech Distinguished Collaborator Award was established to recognize those advancing biotechnology by building effective, collaborative relationships with academia, government and industry, and contributing to the biotechnology sector in South Dakota.

This year’s Distinguished Collaborator is BioMADE, an organization that has helped advance workforce training, workforce analysis and the development of apprenticeship pathways designed to connect people with careers in biomanufacturing.

The initial training pilot drew 18 applicants and selected six participants, while apprenticeship pathway development is moving forward alongside the broader workforce initiative.

“For South Dakota, that collaboration matters. We can build facilities and develop technologies, but ultimately, we also have to develop the skilled people who will operate those facilities, grow these companies and carry this industry forward,” Sullivan said.

“That is what good collaboration does. It brings organizations and resources together around a shared opportunity and creates something with an impact that lasts well beyond a single project.”

Additionally, the following participants were recognized for completing the latest cohort of Project BioTech Launchpad:

  • Michael Bańkowski, Prosperous Robotics
  • Bharathkiran Maddipudi, Advanced Carbon X
  • Pei Yen, New Heritage Ag
  • Grigoriy Sereda, Oncoplant Therapeutics LLC


The awards were presented at last week’s South Dakota Biotech Summit, which also serves as the organization’s annual meeting.

Additionally, the following educators were awarded STEM grants to support innovative approaches to teaching STEM subjects:

  • Boys & Girls Club of Aberdeen Area
  • Dr. Mazhar Sher — South Dakota State University
  • Maria Angela G. Vidal — Wounded Knee District School
  • Tara Jensen — Viborg-Hurley
  • Tanvi Govil — South Dakota Mines
  • Dipayan Samanta — South Dakota Mines
  • Jasmeet Kaur and Ishika Garg — South Dakota Mines
  • Shyam Solanki — South Dakota State University
  • Hannah Dearden, Sidney Peterson, Jameson Brennan — South Dakota State University

Rebecca L. Scully — Jefferson High School, Sioux Falls

South Dakota Biotech also voted in new board officers at its annual meeting. They are:

  • President: Jeff Heikes, senior vice president of research, POET
  • Vice president: Katie Paulson, vice president, innovation and commercialization, Sanford Health
  • Treasurer: Tom Johnson, vice president of hospital pharmacy and laboratory services at Avera Health
  • Secretary: Bobbie Tibbetts, broker associate with Bender Commercial Real Estate Services
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