Maryland-based biopharmaceutical company NextCure awarded Ruderman Best in Business Award

Among 18 companies recognized for their hiring of employees with disabilities.

NextCure, a biopharmaceutical company based in Beltsville, Maryland, is one of 18 winners of the Ruderman Best in Business Award, announced this week.

The award, instituted by Ruderman Family Foundation, a national leader in disability inclusion, awarded NextCure for having shown a history of inclusive hiring, supporting and employing people with disabilities, according to a press release.

NextCure is a newly formed biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of new immuno-oncology products with Series A financing from a consortium of Venture Capital goods.

“NextCure hires people based on their abilities, knowledge in the field and ability to contribute regardless of physical limitations and all accommodations are made to work with talented and qualified individuals to be successful,” said Dr. Solomon Langermann, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Research at NextCure, in a statement.

Langermann has used a wheelchair for 10 years due to many years of deteriorating muscle strength because of inclusion body myositis (IBM). Coming to NextCare meant not only work in an office setting, but the need to take the startup’s mission out on the road to pitch to potential investors.

“Not only did my colleagues make accommodations during ‘road show’ travel to raise funds,” Langermann recalled, “but they did so in setting up my new office and accommodating a home office for me as well.”

This year marked the second year of the award, highlighting businesses selected through a national nomination and review process by judges from the business and disability communities, including Richard E. Marriott, Chairman of Host Hotels & Resorts and the Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities. The Ruderman Best in Business initiative, in partnership with The Jewish Week Media Group, has raised awareness about the benefits of inclusive hiring for both employees and employers.

“As with all aspects of disability inclusion, the case for inclusion in the work force is not just one of fundamental civil rights, but one of business sense. People with disabilities are not only an untapped talent pool, but we have repeatedly seen that this group makes for some of the most loyal and hardworking employees in any company,” said Jay Ruderman, President of the Ruderman Family Foundation, in a statement. “Additionally we have seen that employees with disabilities improve the morale of their coworkers on the whole and also attract the huge market share of customers with disabilities and their families.”

A few others winners from this year include: Uber, UPS, Xerox, WAWA and Safeway. In addition to the national, well-known entities who received the award, it was also given to many local businesses throughout North America.