Editor’s note: News Molecules are designed to give readers occasional tidbits of information about the N.C. Research Campus.
By Emily Ford
Salisbury Post
KANNAPOLIS ó Oprah Winfrey and David H. Murdock?
Now that would be quite a pair.
Both billionaire health fanatics, Winfrey and Murdock apparently are considering a collaboration.
Murdock said last week that he has talked with Winfrey about some kind of project, but he would not elaborate.
Although Winfrey has not been to the N.C. Research Campus, Murdock’s biotech brainchild in downtown Kannapolis, she has visited his wellness center in California.
Lynne Scott Safrit, president of Research Campus developer Castle & Cooke, confirmed that Winfrey has been to Murdock’s California Health and Longevity Institute in Westlake Village, about 35 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
Safrit said she doesn’t know the exact nature of Murdock’s discussions with Winfrey.
According to its Web site, the Health and Longevity Institute includes a state-of-the-art TV production studio that will focus on health and wellness programming.
The 700,000-square-foot wellness center opened in 2006 and also features a diagnostic medical center, a 270-room Four Seasons hotel and a world-class spa.
Murdock, who also owns Dole Food Co., wants the N.C. Research Campus to focus on health and nutrition, two causes that Winfrey promotes with her media empire, including a television talk show and magazine.
Contact Emily Ford at eford@salisburypost.com.