Q&A with LabConnector Joe Marino, VP Scientific Services

What are some of the challenges you face and how do you approach problem solving?

The exciting part of this role is that I have the opportunity to help our clients identify gaps or inefficiencies that can delay clinical development. I leverage the help of a skilled technical team, along with my own years of industry experience, to find collaborative solutions that accelerate bringing therapies to market.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I enjoy the relationship building aspect of my role and bringing teams together to successfully reach our common goals. Our team has had the opportunity to help bring a broad spectrum of new therapies to market.

Pick one (or more) of LabConnect’s values and share a story of how you are carrying them out in your daily work: Partnership, Excellence, Execution, Forward-Thinking, Collaboration, Accountable, Informed, Nimble.

In the functional service provider model, adaptability to the changing needs of our clients is important. One great example comes from partnerships in China and adapting to COVID related restrictions while still meeting trial deliverables. During shutdowns, our team was quickly able to develop a new analytical strategy for China-bound samples, ensuring that testing was maintained. This allowed non-China samples to be efficiently resulted and trial timelines were met.

How would you describe the company culture and what do you believe makes it unique?

LabConnect is a solutions-based company, always willing to work with our clients to provide a process that will help meet their clinical deliverables. This approach is instilled in our employees, leading to new ideas and novel methods for solving complex challenges.

How do you like to spend your free time – hobbies, volunteer, other?

Much of my free time is devoted to my two kids and their high school and club sports. This gives us a lot of opportunities to travel to warmer areas of the country for tournaments and competitions during the cold Seattle winters. When the weather is nice, we love to be on Lake Washington, and during the winters, our family spends our weekends in the mountains skiing and snowboarding.