Banner Innovation Group will be moving into ASU's SkySong building and forming a partnership that hopes to take advantage of the University's resources as it helps tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
"During the current public health crisis, Banner Innovation Group is partnering with public and private sector groups to meet the growing demand for supplies for health care professionals, including personal protective equipment, 3D printing of masks and face shields and gown manufacturing options," according to a news release from SkySong.
The group is an initiative within Banner Health that focuses on innovating and enhancing things like patient experiences and partnerships. Some innovative programs within Banner Health include telehealth and robotic assistive surgery.
Christine Anderson, executive director of Banner Innovation Group, said SkySong, which is a mixed-use development in Scottsdale, was exactly the space they were looking for.
According to the news release, the group's new location combines two spaces that were across the Valley. This helps streamline the consolidation of its separate innovation teams, allowing them to better collaborate together.
Working in the office has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic but Anderson assured that they will work from their SkySong office as soon as they can again.
As the partnership expands in the future, Banner Innovation Group will have a stronger responsibility in terms of giving back to the community for their help in delivering PPE along with the relationships they build with SkySong and ASU. Banner Innovation hopes to be a leader in facilitating the consolidation of SkySong tenants to encourage more purposeful and innovative discussions.
“I would love to be a catalyst for community innovation," Anderson said. “We wanted that six months ago well before the COVID-19 crises, but now we need that.”
Banner Innovation Group ultimately chose SkySong to lease a space in because of their desire to collaborate with like-minded and innovative companies — and SkySong’s relationship with ASU allows them to do so.
Don Couvillion of University Realty believes that Banner becoming a tenant at SkySong is advantageous because of Banner’s access to ASU’s resources.
“ASU provides direct access from Skysong tenants to the University," Couvillion said. "Things like recruiting students as workers, being able to set up programs with professors and programs at the University are a big draw for SkySong."
Additionally, according to the news release, "through ASU’s on-site operations, tenant companies have a single point of contact for introductions to researchers, faculty and programs to address their specific needs."
While going through the process of moving to SkySong, Banner Innovation Group collaborated with Plaza Companies, the master developer involved in leasing the space.
Sharon Harper, president and CEO of Plaza Companies, said they believed Banner Health will continue to bring innovative solutions to the area with this partnership.
"Banner Innovation Group is a company that is very innovative and very interested in being in a microcosm in other companies that are innovative and creative and interested in relationships with ASU," Harper said. "It was a perfect fit.”
Reach the reporter at pguduru@asu.edu and on Twitter @pranattii.
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