It all started last fall at a Kansas University football game when a meeting was arranged between KU professor Dan Flynn and Clay Blair, then the chairman of the Kansas Bioscience Authority.

The two visited about a new Lawrence company called Deciphera and a possible location for the company to pursue its promising research and eventual production of a new pharmaceutical product.

Flynn, Deciphera’s president and CEO, hoped the company could remain in Lawrence, but more appropriate space was needed and, at that time, there were powerful and wealthy individuals living on the East Coast who wanted Deciphera to move to the Boston area.

Blair, an optimist and a successful and visionary developer, heard the story of Deciphera and the dreams and plans of Flynn and his fellow researchers and said he would see what he might be able to come up with.

Within a few days, Blair met with Lawrence Mayor Mike Amyx and City Manager Dave Corliss. The three discussed the Deciphera opportunity, Blair suggested several ways he thought a plan that would be attractive to Deciphera people could be put together, and Amyx instructed Corliss to get the necessary preliminary work under way.

Next came a meeting with Amyx, Blair, Corliss and County Commissioner Bob Johnson, followed by another meeting with Amyx, Johnson, Blair, Chamber of Commerce President Lavern Squier and newly elected Mayor Sue Hack.

City and county officials approved a plan to help finance a strong incentive package to present to Deciphera, and Blair outlined a plan whereby the Kansas Bioscience Authority could play a central and critical role, helping to acquire a building large enough for Deciphera, as well as space for expansion within the building and lab facilities for start-up companies that do not have the financial resources to own and operate such sophisticated equipment.

After numerous starts and stops, the deal is just about consummated. It will be good for Deciphera, good for Lawrence and Douglas County, and good for Kansas. It’s a win-win-win situation; a young, promising company stays in Kansas rather than leaving for other parts of the country.

And it probably wouldn’t have happened without the early meeting of Dan Flynn and Clay Blair.

Now, jump forward to this week’s announcement about the possibility of the National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility coming to Manhattan and Kansas State University.

The Kansas site made it into the finals after strong presentations by both Leavenworth and Manhattan. But now, the hard work begins. This is where the loss of Blair’s vision, financial acumen and planning expertise will be a major handicap for the state.

Aside from the specific requirements of the NBAF, each of the five finalists will be faced with the challenge of selling their particular site as the best. What incentives will be offered by each site? What kind of financial package will be provided? How will each state make a solid and impressive bid?

Sure, each state will hire professionals, high-priced lobbyists, to try to sway votes in Washington and have their state present a unified and attractive offer. Most of the bids will be similar. Each state can and will pledge “X” millions of dollars to reduce the costs for Washington to bear, each state will have its elected representatives pulling whatever strings they can to try to gain a favorable vote, and there will be many other similarities.

Years ago, Lawrence was one of three “finalists” for the U.S. Air Force Academy. The proposed site was northeast of Lawrence on the hills overlooking the Kansas River valley. A true blue-ribbon site selection committee visited Lawrence, and they made every effort to keep local, state and national politicians out of the picture. It was a thorough investigation, but eventually, Colorado Springs was chosen for the academy. Lawrence had many advantages, including Kansas University, which would have women students to attend social events at the mostly male academy.

Why Colorado Springs? Many informed insiders said it was the famed Broadmoor Hotel that would provide deluxe accommodations for visiting VIPs and Air Force officers, along with the scenic Rocky Mountains.

What will be the deciding factors on the NBAF selection?

This is where Blair will be missed because he has the ability and vision to design a plan that is unique, exciting and doable. Unfortunately, following the political actions to remove Blair and place Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ hand-picked directors in control, there is no one at the KBA who has the enthusiasm, ability and vision of Blair, attributes that are so essential at a time such as this. No one has the fiscal imagination and ability to get things done.

It is a sad story!

Soon, much will be heard about the new 92-acre research park that is partnership of KSU, KBA and Olathe. Blair and Olathe officials put together a package that will be a tremendous asset for Olathe and the state. In addition to working with Olathe officials, Blair also had been working for about a year and a half with officials of a well-known company who are likely to announce soon plans to make a major investment in the Olathe site.

Blair is a true asset for the state, but a well-planned assassination was designed to remove him from leadership of the KBA. State legislators and the public eventually will see the unnecessary and damaging results of the governor’s action.

It is, indeed, a “new chapter” for the KBA, as described by Sebelius and echoed by new chairwoman Sandra Lawrence and several KBA directors. However, it will be far less effective and, chances are, huge sums of money will be handed over to the governor’s pet projects, including the $800 million effort to have the KU Medical Center designated as a National Cancer Institute. Unfortunately, the mess involving KU Hospital, KU Medical Center and St. Luke’s Hospital is tied directly into the KBA mess. Many of the same players are behind the scenes. Sandra Lawrence, for example, was a strong supporter of the “Time To Get It Right” report that called for an affiliation between KU Hospital, KUMC and St. Luke’s. She favors the giveaway.

It’s not a pretty picture, and Kansas will pay the price for the political gamesmanship and proposed giveaway to St. Luke’s.

In the meantime, it is up to Lawrence and Douglas County officials and residents to take advantage of the Deciphera opportunity and work together to make it a success in every respect.