BioLife gets off to busy start in QC

A new blood plasma collection business got off to a “busy, but not crazy” start in Davenport on Saturday, March 17. BioLife Plasma Services held a grand opening day on Saturday that attracted about 150 people, said Michael Koopman, manager of the new Davenport business. “We’re really happy with how the day went,” he told […]

A new blood plasma collection business got off to a “busy, but not crazy” start in Davenport on Saturday, March 17. BioLife Plasma Services held a grand opening day on Saturday that attracted about 150 people, said Michael Koopman, manager of the new Davenport business. “We’re really happy with how the day went,” he told the QCBJ late Saturday.  “It was a busy, but not crazy day. This is in the top three of the last 25 (business) rollouts we’ve had.” The new BioLife facility is located at 5250 Elmore Ave. – the former home of Dick’s Sporting Goods. It employs about 24 people, but in the next few months will employ some 55 to 60 people. It also has about 60 plasma-collection stations, Mr. Koopman said.

The business site is located in a shopping center next to David’s Bridal store. The renovation of the former sporting goods store, which started last fall, was about a $2 million investment for the company, the manager added. Mr. Koopman said BioLife is only using a portion of the former Dick’s Sporting Goods location. He estimates the company is using about half or less of the old store space. In the past few weeks, BioLife has conducted an advertising campaign in the region, stating new customers can make $900 a month by giving plasma at BioLife. Mr. Koopman said that $900 is a special rate for new customers only. The rate for existing customers can be $140 a week that works out to about $560 a month. The manager added that BioLife makes the plasma-collection process as fast as possible. The first visit for a customer usually takes the longest – perhaps two and a half to three hours – because the company requires a physical for new customers. After that, the company has the goal of getting customers done in 70 minutes. “But we can usually get it done in less than 70 minutes,” he added. “Plasma is known as ‘liquid gold’ because it plays a vital role in creating life-saving treatments for people with chronic blood disorders and immune deficiencies. … For a person with blood clotting problems, even a minor injury can be fatal. Your plasma donations are used to create therapies aimed at people with blood disorders to improve their lives,” according to the company’s Facebook page. According to the BioLife website: “Donating plasma is a low risk procedure with minimal or no side effects. Before a donor is accepted into the BioLife Plasma Services donor program, he or she must pass a physical examination and a survey of their medical history. During each subsequent visit, a staff member checks the donor's vital signs and the donor answers questions about their medical history. … The body replaces the plasma removed during the donation process quickly; therefore, healthy individuals can donate as often as twice in a seven-day period, with at least one day between donations.” BioLIfe is an “industry leader in the collection of high-quality plasma that is processed into life-saving plasma-based therapies. We operate numerous state-of-the-art plasma collection facilities throughout the United States and Europe,” according to the company website. BioLife, which has its headquarters in Layton, Utah, has more than 170 plasma centers in 35 states across the country. It has 8,000 employees and two dedicated screening labs, the website said.