At Life + Science 2026, in partnership with Quest Diagnostics, hear from a panel of industry experts in the track: Catalyzing Economic Growth in South Carolina’s Life Sciences, powered by Charleston County Economic Development.
In this session, examine the key factors shaping site selection and the evolving needs of biomanufacturers. Experts will highlight how regions like South Carolina can strengthen their positioning to attract investment, drive growth and enhance competitiveness in the biopharma industry.
Learn more about the conference panelists and register for South Carolina’s largest life sciences event at The Gaillard Center in Charleston, South Carolina, on February 18, 2026.
Deb Boucher
Vice Chair | Cushman & Wakefield
Deb Boucher serves as vice chair at Cushman & Wakefield (C&W), where she leads specialty practice groups made up of local and national experts focused on all aspects of science and technology real estate. She has extensive experience advising organizations that occupy technically complex, highly improved spaces, and she frequently guides clients through layered occupancy and exit strategies across multiple markets in North America and abroad.
Boucher establishes systematic, documented processes to help clients manage and maximize real estate opportunities. She and her team, along with the colleagues she partners with, provide continuity and accountability through direct executive oversight that remains accessible throughout each engagement.
Her approach is grounded in a straightforward formula: a deep understanding of the client’s business, paired with data-driven analysis of space use and market conditions, and reinforced by broad transaction experience. This combination empowers clients to reduce risk and operational costs while enhancing efficiency and occupant satisfaction. Boucher’s extensive knowledge of life science business drivers — and the long-term clients who rely on her guidance as their companies expand, contract, consolidate or spin out — reflects the strength of her trust-based advisory style.
A consistent top producer at C&W, Boucher is widely regarded as one of the firm’s leading life science real estate experts. She is also recognized nationally as the dominant life science broker in the Southeast, giving her clients exceptional negotiating power regardless of their size.
Boucher holds a bachelor’s degree in design and environmental analysis from Cornell University.
Alan Jones
VP of Regional Business Development | IPS – Integrated Project Services
Alan Jones is vice president of regional business development at Integrated Project Services (IPS), a Berkshire Hathaway company. He brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in strategy, sales, marketing and economic development, with a strong record of accelerating growth, strengthening partnerships and creating value across complex industries.
At IPS, Jones leads the Southeast region and oversees more than 250 professionals across design, construction, and commissioning, qualification and validation disciplines. Under his direction, the region has expanded its presence and deepened relationships with major pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients, supporting IPS’s mission to deliver integrated, high-performance facilities that enable life-changing scientific innovation.
Jones holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial technology from East Carolina University. He remains active in professional and community organizations, frequently serving in leadership roles that promote collaboration, mentorship and advancement within the industry.
Kyle Syers
Senior Manager | Biggins Lacy Shapiro & Company
Kyle Syers is a senior manager at Biggins Lacy Shapiro & Company, a boutique firm specializing in site selection and public incentives advisory services. Since 2015, he has been based in the firm’s Chicago office, where he provides strategic guidance to organizations making corporate location decisions. Syers leads initiatives within the firm’s site selection and incentives advisory practices, managing engagements from early planning and site identification through incentive negotiations and long-term compliance reporting.
He has recently served as a location and incentives advisor for a range of biopharmaceutical and life sciences companies, including Eli Lilly and Co., Genentech, Johnson & Johnson, Bristol Myers Squibb, Biogen, LabCorp, Schott Pharma, Gusmer Enterprises, Sana Biotechnology, Cellectis and BlueRock Therapeutics. Since 2020, his projects have been tied to more than $60 billion in announced capital investment and over 10,000 new jobs. Syers also contributes to the firm’s development advisory practice, advising clients and public sector entities on incentives structuring and public policy issues.
Syers holds a master’s degree in public affairs from Indiana University’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, with concentrations in public financial administration and public policy analysis. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Missouri State University.