Episode 3: Balancing Work, Leadership, and Family Life - Keith DiMarino, CEO of GenVault

In this down-to-earth, refreshingly honest conversation, Keith DiMarino, Founder and CEO of GenVault, sits down with Patty, a longtime friend from their CEO peer group, to talk about making the leap from document storage into the high-stakes world of biorepositories. The youngest of five brothers and the son of a devoted physician, Keith reflects on how an early drive to prove himself, and a deep respect for service, shaped the entrepreneur he became. 

You’ll hear Keith and Patty dig into what truly sets a biorepository apart, the weight of responsibility that comes with safeguarding irreplaceable research, and how to balance data, reflection, and instinct when the big decisions arrive. They also get candid about self-doubt, the tug-of-war between work and family, and where the biggest obstacle in business might actually be hiding. This episode explores the often-overlooked role of sample storage in clinical research, and the mindset it takes to build something new with conviction. 

What you’ll hear about 

• What really separates an exceptional biorepository from an average one? 

• What hidden risks come with launching a cold storage business? 

• How should leaders balance data, analysis, and gut instinct in decisions? 

• How do successful CEOs quiet their self-doubt and self-limiting thinking? 

• Can you build a thriving business and still stay present at home? 

• How will sample storage and management evolve over the next five years? 

This episode is intended for biospecimen and sample management teams and clinical supply leaders, offering a clear perspective on why sample preservation deserves a strategic place in research planning. 

Timestamps 

00:30 – The decade-long spark behind GenVault 

01:55 – Weighing opportunity against risk in cold storage 

03:25 – The unexpected gotchas of building a biorepository 

05:05 – What sets a purpose-built biorepository apart 

06:25 – Youngest of five: the drive to prove yourself 

09:30 – A physician father and the true meaning of service 

12:40 – Confidence, doubt, and the voice in your head 

16:00 – Math, reflection, and trusting your gut 

18:00 – Balancing work, family, and “good guilt” 

20:10 – A daughter’s journey and a cause worth climbing for 

26:25 – The responsibility of safeguarding research 

28:15 – People first: a leadership philosophy that scales 

30:10 – The biggest challenge every business owner faces 

31:40 – Catching self-limiting thoughts faster 

33:50 – Redefining what success really means 

36:05 – The future of cold storage and biorepositories 

Guest Biography 

Keith DiMarino is the Founder and CEO of GenVault, a commercial biorepository in West Deptford, New Jersey, built to safeguard the biological samples that power life sciences research. A Wharton graduate and lifelong entrepreneur, he first grew DocuVault into a leading records management business before turning his passion for physical asset protection toward cold storage. Inspired by his physician father’s commitment to service, Keith is driven to build infrastructure that preserves irreplaceable research for future generations.