Adam Van Bavel: A Baltimore Native In It to Do Good

November 8, 2023

BioBuzz has been connecting the life science workforce since 2009. We’ve built an expansive community in the Mid-Atlantic with a national readership that spans from Massachusettes to Florida, and New York to California. For our next chapter, we’re building a proprietary talent logistics model to help employers source and hire life science talent. Learn more.

In the diverse tapestry of Baltimore’s residents, there are those who not only call the city home but also actively contribute to its growth and development.

Adam Van Bavel, a Baltimore native, exemplifies this commitment through his journey from his roots in the city to his current role in the life sciences industry. While we usually turn our editorial attention outward to our community, we wanted to take a special opportunity to share the story of BioBuzz‘s co-founder, Adam Van Bavel.

In our interview, we explore Adam’s experiences, friendships, and his unwavering dedication to making a positive impact in Baltimore and beyond.

From Baltimore to Pigtown: Choosing a Home

Adam’s story begins with his decision to purchase his first house in Baltimore, a city he had never called home before. His criteria for selecting a neighborhood were clear: a strong sense of community, a rich cultural and historical backdrop, and ample opportunities for growth. Pigtown, despite its ups and downs, stood out as a place with untapped potential, a reflection of Baltimore’s vibrant spirit.

“I chose Pigtown because of the neighborhood’s diversity. It’s close to all major transportation, near the stadiums, has historically significant Carroll Park, and a very blue-collar legacy,” Adam explains. He appreciated the neighborhood’s eclectic mix of residents, including students from the University of Maryland, creating a unique blend of cultures and perspectives.

During his time living there, Adam got highly involved in the community, getting active with all Pigtown community associations, becoming the Director of the annual Pigtown Festival, co-managing neighborhood cleanups – he even ran for City Council to further show his commitment to making an impact. With his decision to buy in Pigtown, Adam achieved his goal of finding community, culture, history, and opportunity in this evolving neighborhood.

Calvert Hall: Friendships That Endure

Anyone who has met Adam knows that he wears his heart on his sleeve and has tremendous loyalty to his friends and his community.

Chris Frew, BioBuzz CEO, is one of those whose friendship was forged during their high school years at Calvert Hall. Based in Towson, MD, Calvert Hall is an all-boys school that served Adam as an institution for both educational and community building and was where many of Adam’s significant friendships began.

“Our group was a really diverse mixture that has remained incredibly close to this day,” Adam reflects. Our friendships transcended the typical high school cliques, including brainiacs, jocks, artists, and others forming a close-knit circle. As Adam and Chris embarked on adulthood, they coincidentally both moved to Pigtown for their first homes, were a part of each other’s weddings, and celebrated the birth of their children along with so many other of life’s milestones together.

One such important milestone for this story was the launching of BioBuzz Media in 2018.  Adam joined as a cofounder for the new media platform while working nights and weekends with Chris to build and launch the first BioBuzz website. Then in 2020 Adam joined BioBuzz full time as the Head of BD and the story has only gotten better from there.

Now as business partners, Chris and Adam made it through a pandemic together and are now working to evolve BioBuzz from a community-based media and events company into a cutting edge tech company with a platform that addresses two big problems in life sciences – talent and community.

In It to Do Good: A Guiding Philosophy

Adam’s commitment to making a positive impact extends beyond his choice of neighborhood or the enduring friendships he treasures. His guiding philosophy, “#InItToDoGood,” has been a constant throughout his life. Rooted in his high school days, this motto underscores Adam’s commitment to creating value and contributing positively to his surroundings, regardless of the context.

In the previous decade, Adam has been awarded and/or recognized 11 times for his impact initiatives locally, regional, and even nationally.

Going back to his high school days he notes, “I was in 15 or 20 clubs at Calvert Hall. I wanted to be immersed. To learn, to explore, to receive, and to give back. The lessons from chess club, black awareness club, dead poets society, volleyball, the Cardinal Crazies, and many more – most importantly, the little things – lessons in the details of each experience. The focus on immersion helped me to create a mentality of a hand-up, not a hand-out for those in need. No one is self-made. Let’s lift each other up by helping to rise the tide.”

It is this philosophy that underpins BioBuzz’s commitment to creating exceptional experiences for our community and clients, and it is why we are so fortunate to have Adam helping to instill it into our culture each and every day.

Baltimore’s Growing Life Sciences Industry

Adam’s latest endeavor lies in Baltimore’s burgeoning life sciences industry, where he sees immense potential. Baltimore’s institutions, such as Johns Hopkins University, as well as growth-stage biotechs like Vita Therapeutics, Astek Diagnostics and Irazu Oncology play pivotal roles in advancing scientific research and commercialization. Additionally, science and technology parks, like the UM BioPark and City Garage, are expanding and providing opportunities for further growth in the life sciences and medtech sectors.  

Baltimore has such great potential to be a stronger life science ecosystem and Adam wants to help ensure that the community and industry are rallying to make that happen. BioBuzz launched the BMore Bio initiative this year to help build a groundswell of stories, events and community activities in the city to help influence the narrative around Baltimore as a destination for companies to relocate to and to stay rooted in.

Adam acknowledges the challenges posed by a shortage in the skilled workforce and executive leadership, as well as a concern for safety and transportation that persist as objections that the city has to overcome in order to compete on a national level. As Baltimore’s life sciences industry continues to evolve, he remains committed to addressing these issues and contributing to the city’s growth.

A Baltimore Native’s Perspective

Adam Van Bavel’s journey from his Baltimore roots to his dynamic career in the life sciences industry showcases a commitment to both personal growth and the betterment of his beloved city. His story serves as a reminder that the heart of any city lies in the people who call it home and actively strive to make a positive impact.

In Adam’s case, his unwavering dedication to doing good in every aspect of his life, combined with his vision for Baltimore’s future in the life sciences industry, paints a compelling portrait of a Baltimore native making a significant difference in his community and beyond.

We’re proud to have Adam leading BioBuzz into our future as we continue to build the community infrastructure for our Talent Marketplace solution – the BioBuzz Talent Lab, made first here in Baltimore but scaling nationally to every top biotech hub.