Food Safety Technology Company Selects KC for R&D Facility

August 22, 2008 – St. Louis-based SOMARK Innovations, Inc. will centralize its R&D operations in Prairie Village, Kan. 

“Our R&D operations have been geographically dispersed since SOMARK's inception and it was time to gather everyone under one roof. One of our R&D teams has been located in Kansas City for some time, so we decided to centralize product development around the KC team plan to grow as necessary. We look forward to tapping the KC talent pool and enjoying some barbeque.” said Mark C. Pydynowski, president of SOMARK.

The company will continue to develop its innovative food safety ID technology. Food safety scares in recent years, such as mad cow disease, led to a demand for a more advantageous cattle identification system.

The company plans to add 13 high-tech jobs including mechanical, electrical, software engineers and lab technicians over the next two years.

“Food safety is a critical concern in our country,” said Lynn Parman, vice president of life sciences and technology with the Kansas City Area Development Council. “SOMARK’s technology is a perfect match for the assets in the Corridor.”

“We’re excited to welcome SOMARK Innovations to Kansas,” said Secretary of Commerce David Kerr. “Kansas offers biotech companies a variety of advantages, including our friendly tax structure, educated workforce and location within the renowned Animal Health Corridor. SOMARK Innovations will undoubtedly benefit from these assets, and we look forward to working with the company for years to come.”

About SOMARK

SOMARK ensures a safer food supply by aiming to curb export trade loss from animal disease scares like BSE (Mad Cow Disease), E. coli and Salmonella. The patented ink tattoo ID system with chipless RFID functionality allows SOMARK to address food-export trade bans, issues in identification, traceability, food supply transparency, bioterrorism and credence attributes (assessing quality of product’s genetics, health and overall management).

While the livestock industry will primarily apply this technology, many secondary applications are emerging. From metal part identification to lab animals, SOMARK’s technology has a profound place in many different markets.