Chief Executive Officer & Director, ENZO BIOCHEM INC
Honoree, Kara Cannon - CEO of Enzo BioChem Inc in Farmingdale NY
Kara won Tesla Innovator of the Year Award at this year's Gala The Innovator of the Year Award is presented to an individual who ...
About Kara Cannon
Kara Cannon, CEO and Director of Enzo Biochem, was honored as the Tesla Innovator of the Year at a December 2024 gala. In an interview at the event, Cannon described herself as a "born and raised Long Islander" and a "stem kid" and "science nerd." She stated that Enzo Biochem is "all about technology, all about science" and noted that the company has "over 500 patents." Cannon said that one of the company's most significant inventions was a patent for visualizing DNA using nonradioactive methods, which she said "transformed the entire diagnostic testing industry." Cannon also discussed her role as a board member of the Tesla Science Center, saying the initiative "fit perfectly with everything I'm interested in." She described Enzo Biochem as a "small, longstanding company" with about 125 employees globally, most of whom are on Long Island, and noted that 25 percent of the workforce are scientists. Cannon said the company develops products used by scientists "trying to make the world a healthier place."
Transcript (24 segments)
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Interviewer0:05
Hi folks, we're back again. Annual gala, things are really heating up now. It feels great. You got to see the selection here. Hopefully James gets a little b-roll of some of the drinks and food and the auction and the piano player. It's amazing. I am here with a third honoree. I'm so honored to be able to speak to Kara Cannon. She is the CEO of Enzo Biochem. This is a corporation right in Farmingdale.
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Kara Cannon0:27
That's correct, Kevin. Love Farmingdale. We love Main Street in Farmingdale.
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Interviewer0:31
Me too. I know it's a good place. It's a whiskey down diner. You get the best lobster roll there through the season. I don't know if you've had it. Best secret.
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Kara Cannon0:40
I haven't had that, but I have had at the holidays they have a hot chocolate flight, which is quite nice. We know all the good places.
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Interviewer0:49
So you are a board member of the Tesla Science Center. How did that come about and how does that make you feel? Let's be honest, it's part of history really. It's an amazing part of history.
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Kara Cannon0:59
So I'm going to start with a little something about myself. I am born and raised on Long Island. I'm a born and raised Long Islander. I love everything about Long Island. I also am a STEM kid. I'm a science nerd. The company that I'm running is all about technology, all about science. And so some of the local people that I knew started to talk to me about the Tesla Science Center initiative, and it just fit perfectly with everything I'm interested in. I'm interested in the science, I'm interested in the history of Long Island, I'm interested in helping young people develop their careers in STEM, and I just love everything about it. Mark, who was really driving the initiative, was the person that reached out to me, and we just hit it off, and here I am.
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Interviewer1:52
Isn't he so exciting? He's such an exciting guy to be around. Really, really exciting. He has a passion for it.
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Kara Cannon1:58
A passion, yep.
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Interviewer1:59
We love Mark for that reason. Tell me what Enzo Biochem does. Products, services, or both?
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Kara Cannon2:04
Products and services. And the thing that I'm most proud of about Enzo is we have about 125 people globally, most of them are sitting on Long Island, and most of them are scientists. 25% of my workforce are scientists developing cool stuff, and then we translate that cool stuff into products that are used by scientists around the world who are trying to make the world a healthier place.
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Interviewer2:35
So cool. Yeah, it's great. So guys, you got to understand, I'm learning real time here. There's no preface, there's no pre-roll, which is the way I like it by the way. So I'm really impressed. You obviously go through patented things that are really cutting edge, I'm sure, to protect your company and the assets, right?
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Kara Cannon2:53
Oh my God, you are a perfect straight man because one of the things I love to say about Enzo is we're a small company, longstanding small company, but we have over 500 patents in our name. Because as we develop stuff, we protect it, darn right. But we protect it in a way that we then give it to the community so that they can use it in a useful way. So it's really a great thing.
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Interviewer3:17
Very, very cool. Have you been to the site?
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Kara Cannon3:19
Yes, I have. Yes, I have.
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Interviewer3:21
What was your experience there? Did you go after the fire or before the fire?
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Kara Cannon3:23
It was after. There's AF and B. Unfortunately, my experience has been after the fire, but you can really see the potential and you can really feel the history when you're standing in front of the lab and you see where that big tower used to be. And my favorite part for anybody who goes there is there's these cobblestones that people have started to donate and they put up the bricks with their names. Oh my God, and I just love reading them and seeing how every little bit of people wanting to get involved from the community is going to go a long way.
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Interviewer4:03
Wonderful. So you were there and you understand what the mission is. And I say this over and over again, just because we're on this wild mission, I think we're $3 to $4 million behind because a week after the last gala we had that unfortunate event. But we're smiling now, even Mark smiling, because we know what's going to happen. And with all the people that are here tonight, come on, we have to have a good night tonight.
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Kara Cannon4:24
Yeah, it's going to be a good night for sure.
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Interviewer4:26
So Kara, you come here tonight. Who are you here with and what's most exciting about what you're seeing around the floor here tonight?
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Kara Cannon4:31
So one of the things I'm excited about, of course, is being honored by the center, absolutely. And because I'm being honored, usually I come to these events with work colleagues, and some of our work colleagues are here. Enzo has a table, and that's exciting. But because I'm being honored, I also asked my childhood friend and my sister to join me here tonight because I was so proud of what was going on. So my childhood friend, her name is Joanne Rogers, and she's a Long Island native now transplanted in New York City. And my sister, her name is Kristen Gates, and she's living in WTO with her family now. All Long Islanders.
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Interviewer5:18
All Long Islanders. You know, I do have one last question for you. What is your most proudest, and I don't know if you call them this, products, inventions, I'll say inventions, something that your company is most proud of? It's something you put on the wall as you walk in.
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Kara Cannon5:31
Okay, so bear with me, I'm going to make this as simple as I can. Everybody, I think at this point, knows about DNA. If we didn't before COVID, we know now because they looked at DNA for COVID testing and things like this. Rex Shurman, he taught me about DNA. That's right. So everybody knows. Once upon a time, when someone wanted to use DNA in a diagnostic test or a forensic test or an experiment, they needed to visualize it using radioactive material, which as you can imagine is pretty messy, not easy to use, it has to be done in special rooms. Enzo had a patent to be able to visualize DNA using non-radioactive methods, and it transformed the entire diagnostic testing industry. And I'm very proud of that.
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Interviewer6:23
I knew you had something in you. I don't know why. Great, Kara, so proud of your being a board member. We really need great board members. Congratulations on your honorary status tonight and your award. And we'll see you inside. This is great.
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Kara Cannon6:36
Very good. Thank you for having me. This is a nice experience talking to you. Thank you.