re: Generation

July 16, 2019

Moving forward: How our new space powers our mission to bring next generation gene therapies to patients

Catching up in the seating area

Although we do affectionately refer to it as “301,” our new headquarters is more than an address. It’s an integral part of who we are, what we value, and what we aim to achieve.

We are dedicated to fostering a culture where everyone is free to thrive and succeed in a highly transparent, inclusive and collaborative environment. From the outset, we were committed to creating a space that fostered this vision.

We began by involving our 70 employees in identifying key features of a workspace that would support and amplify our values in action. What emerged was a palpable enthusiasm for the possibilities, which included a focus on an open environment without offices, but replete with meeting rooms; both formal and informal collaboration spaces for sparking sharing and discovery; and extensive use of glass to allow natural light to flow through every lab space and provide visual continuity between the office and labs; spare furnishings; high ceilings; and abundant plant life. And that was just the beginning.

To us, an office is more than just an address.

These themes also carried through to our technology choices. We had already implemented Slack to facilitate immediate and broad sharing of data and analysis within and across our teams. Now, we’ve gone further to equip every collaboration space and meeting room with Zoom videoconferencing and sharing capability. We have an app that allows people to quickly find one another, and a check-in system that notifies our teams the minute that guests arrive.

In our seating arrangements, we walked away from convention in order to further accelerate collaboration, arranging ourselves by cross-functional teams, each focused on advancing therapeutic candidates in specific categories. Teams dedicated to liver disorders are grouped together in one area, and those committed to retinal disorders collaborate closely in another. Within each, there are no individual offices nor is seating defined by hierarchy or function; instead, scientists, leadership team members, administrators and program team members are all mixed together. Our teams are organized into six distinct neighborhoods, each with local greenery, collaboration spaces, and conference rooms. This arrangement has not only elevated the way we work, it has created a fun, cross-neighborhood competition that has sparked events such as “Trivia Night with Geeks who Drink.”

Our gallery of families affected by rare disease

Portraits of children and families affected by rare diseases offer a daily reminder of Generation Bio’s mission.

Because our team is mission-focused, our space needed to be, as well. At the many moments when we reach an obstacle or feel like we’ve hit a barrier, it helps to be reminded why we come to work every day. To this end, we have several photo walls displaying the lives and faces of families living with rare diseases who we’ve met at company events. We also created a reflection area to honor the memory of a colleague who passed away from a rare disease in the company’s earliest days, and to provide a quiet space for time away from team-oriented work.

Town hall meeting

A major focal point of the office is a large, eclectic café that is a favorite for impromptu gatherings as well as weekly Town Hall meetings. Our café is where big announcements are made to the entire company, and exciting data is shared between colleagues. It’s filled with energy, laughter, healthy (and okay, sometimes not-so-healthy) snacks and, of course, a multitude of caffeine options. Cold brew coffee is always on tap—often next to microbrew beer. We’ve moved to eliminate all disposable plastics and minimize bottled or canned items. Instead, we use regular plates and tableware for all events and lunches and manage consumables with recycling and compost. The café is an important part of our day-to-day life, but it’s also where we host a disco party for an hour every Friday morning — a longstanding tradition at our former site that we wanted to continue in our new home.

Smaller, additional lighthearted touches throughout the office have made it feel like home. Our team voted to name conference rooms after video game locations – now we hold board meetings in Peach’s Castle and give presentations in Bowser’s Keep. It’s a nice reminder that big goals, even very serious ones, require some humor and perspective along the way.

While we’re still unpacking and settling in, we’re already seeing the benefits of being together under one roof in an environment that’s designed to enable everyone to grow and thrive, individually and in teams. It’s exciting to walk through our doors every morning. We invite you to come by and feel it for yourself. We’ll have a mug ready.

Safe Harbor Statement: Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for the company, including statements about our strategic plans or objectives, our technology platforms, our research and clinical development plans, the expected timing of the submission of IND applications and preclinical data, our manufacturing plans, our expectations regarding our new facility and other statements containing the words “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including: uncertainties inherent in the identification and development of product candidates, including the conduct of research activities, the initiation and completion of preclinical studies and clinical trials and clinical development of the company’s product candidates; uncertainties as to the availability and timing of results from preclinical studies and clinical trials; whether results from preclinical studies will be predictive of the results of later preclinical studies and clinical trials; uncertainties regarding the timing and ability to complete the build-out of the Company’s manufacturing facility and regarding the new manufacturing process; expectations regarding the timing of submission of IND applications; expectations for regulatory approvals to conduct trials or to market products; challenges in the manufacture of genetic medicine products; whether the Company’s cash resources are sufficient to fund the company’s operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements for the period anticipated, including the funding of the new manufacturing facility; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the company’s business and operations; as well as the other risks and uncertainties set forth in the “Risk Factors” section of our most recent annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly report on Form 10-Q, which are on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and in subsequent filings the company may make with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the company’s views as of the date hereof. The company anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause the company’s views to change. However, while the company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the company’s views as of any date subsequent to the date on which they were made.

Take a seat at the table.

We are always looking for those who are ready to share their vision, talent, and tenacity—who believe in our mission and themselves.

Imagine a world without genetic disease.

What do you see? More health? Fewer doctor appointments? More bike riding? More peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? More life?
See our shared vision.
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