Assurant Employee Benefits becomes seventh tenant at BTBC Main Facility

LAWRENCE — The Bioscience & Technology Business Center at the University of Kansas (BTBC at KU) Main Facility has landed its seventh tenant – and this time, it’s a Fortune 500 company.

Assurant Employee Benefits, a division of insurance leader Assurant, will lease space at the BTBC Main Facility specifically to establish a year-round internship program with the KU School of Engineering. As part of the program, the company will hire between six and eight students from the school’s computer science and computer engineering degree programs to help develop industry-specific IT applications.

Assurant Employee Benefits will move into its BTBC Main Facility office Jan. 1.

Tim Bachta, application development director for Assurant Employee Benefits, said the company chose to partner with the School of Engineering because of positive experiences with KU graduates and interns.

“Assurant Employee Benefits is located in Kansas City, Mo., so we considered other Midwestern schools,” Bachta said. “However, the University of Kansas was the obvious choice because of the experiences we’ve had with KU interns and graduates in the past. KU engineering students are so well-rounded. And once we chose Lawrence, the BTBC Main Facility was easily the best location, thanks to its new space, its business support services and its location on the KU bus route. This is an ideal setup.”

Assurant – ranked No. 285 on this year’s Fortune 500 listing – becomes the second BTBC tenant to establish an internship program with the School of Engineering, joining navigation leader Garmin. Other tenants include Gyrasol Technologies, a molecular diagnostics and drug testing company; 360 Energy Engineers, an engineering and energy management firm; BrightEHR, an electronic health records company; Sunlite Science and Technology, a producer of LED products; and Propylon, a producer of legislative software systems.

Once Assurant moves in, the BTBC Main Facility – one of three buildings in the BTBC system – will be 75 percent full and house 60 employees.

“The BTBC at KU system continues to attract a range of companies, whether they’re KU startups, early-stage companies or Fortune 500 companies like Assurant,” said Matthew McClorey, president of the BTBC at KU system. “The fact that Assurant Employee Benefits chose to come here speaks volumes about KU students and the BTBC as a system for building companies. This is exactly what we envisioned when we created the BTBC – companies coming here to access university talent that doesn’t exist anywhere else. In this case, that talent is School of Engineering students.”

While many companies often buy off-the-shelf information technologies, Bachta said, Assurant’s IT needs are specific enough that they require custom applications. Assurant Employee Benefits is widely regarded as a leader in the creation of insurance industry-specific IT solutions.

Bachta said the company’s initial plans don’t include collaboration with KU researchers, but he didn’t rule it out in the future.

“Being in the BTBC Main Facility, surrounded by all these technology companies and near KU researchers, is a different environment for us,” he said. “You never know where it might lead.”

The School of Engineering continues to be a draw for BTBC tenants. In addition to Assurant and Garmin, tenants Propylon and 360 Engineers also cited access to the school as a reason they chose the BTBC.

“This is a win-win for the School of Engineering and Assurant Employee Benefits,” said Stuart Bell, dean of the KU School of Engineering. “By establishing this internship program, the company has access to some of the nation’s best computer science and engineering students. Meanwhile, our students get to work with a Fortune 500 company right here in Lawrence. It’s an ideal industry-university partnership. We’re so proud that companies are coming to Lawrence just to work with our students.”

About the BTBC at KU
The BTBC at KU provides state-of-the-art wet lab and office space, access to KU resources and research expertise, and business support services such as capital-raising and consulting services. The BTBC system was launched in August 2010 and comprises three facilities: the Main Facility, located on the KU campus at 2029 Becker Drive; the Expansion Facility, located at 4950 Research Parkway; and the BTBC at KUMC facility, located at 2002 W. 39th Ave. in Kansas City, Kan. The three buildings combine for nearly 70,000 square feet in office and lab space. Below is a summary of the buildings’ occupancy data.

Full text:  http://www.news.ku.edu/2011/november/15/assurant.shtml

LAWRENCE — The Bioscience & Technology Business Center at the University of Kansas (BTBC at KU) has a new system vice president and executive director at its KU Medical Center facility.

Frank Kruse, a business leader with more than 20 years of experience in business development and commercialization, has been named the vice president of the BTBC at KU system, as well as the executive director of the BTBC at KUMC facility, the newest of the system’s three incubators.

As vice president of the BTBC at KU system and executive director of the BTBC at KUMC facility, Kruse will help guide the incubators’ efforts to spur entrepreneurship and the commercialization of KU research. Kruse will work to recruit early stage companies to the three facilities, which provide tenants office and lab space, business development consultations and access to capital through a variety of sources.

At the KUMC facility, Kruse and his staff will focus on a range of bioscience and technology-based companies, including spinout companies commercializing KU research, emerging private sector companies and large companies collaborating with KUMC researchers.

Kruse will report directly to Matthew McClorey, president of the BTBC at KU system.

“It’s a privilege to become the vice president of the BTBC at KU system and the executive director of the system’s BTBC at KUMC incubator,” Kruse said. “The KUMC incubator is unique in that it’s adjacent to the Medical Center campus and some of the world’s best life science expertise. I’m confident this location will foster collaboration between research and industry, which will drive commercialization and bring life-improving discoveries to market more quickly. I look forward to some exciting companies occupying this space in the years ahead.”

Kruse comes to the BTBC from global dairy producer DeLaval Manufacturing, where he served as North American product manager and, most recently, manager of global business development. Prior to that, he served as a consultant for New Venture Consulting and as chief operating officer for Matrix Medical LLC, where he led the company into 45 states and two new national distribution channels. Kruse has also held leadership positions with Lifeline Foods, Holland Nameplate, Pulse Needle-Free Systems, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health and International Ingredient Corporation. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri and a master’s degree from North Carolina State University, where he studied agriculture economics.

“Frank makes things happen, plain and simple, and he’s perfect for what we’re doing at the BTBC, specifically at the KUMC facility,” McClorey said. “Frank understands the commercialization process and the challenges faced by early stage bioscience and technology companies. He’s headed national and global operations for various companies and has a great feel for Kansas City business. He also understands KU’s incredible commercialization assets, including the KU Center for Technology Commercialization. We’ll undoubtedly benefit from his leadership and expertise, as will the tenants and clients of the BTBC.”

The BTBC at KUMC was formally unveiled Sept. 27 as the third facility in the BTBC at KU system, which includes two other buildings in Lawrence – the BTBC Main Facility and the BTBC Expansion Facility. The three buildings combine for approximately 70,000 square feet and 12 tenants, making the BTBC at KU the largest incubator network in Kansas. Located at 2002 W. 39th Ave. in the newly remodeled Breidenthal Hall, the BTBC at KUMC comprises approximately 30,000 square feet of office and wet lab space. It is already home to bioscience companies Aptakon, OsteoGeneX, Orbis Biosciences and EON Labs.

“The BTBC at KUMC is a unique business incubator that further positions us to drive innovation, entrepreneurship and the commercialization of university research,” Kruse said. “The result will be new companies and jobs that grow our regional economy and new discoveries that improve our lives. I’m thrilled to be part of such an exciting and important initiative.”

BTBC at KU system background
The BTBC at KU provides state-of-the-art wet lab and office space, access to KU resources and research expertise, and business support services such as capital-raising and consulting services from incubator staff. The BTBC system was launched in August 2010 and currently comprises three facilities: the Main Facility, located on the KU campus at 2029 Becker Drive; the Expansion Facility, located at 4950 Research Parkway; and the BTBC at KUMC facility, located at 2002 W. 39th Ave. The three buildings combine for nearly 70,000 feet in office and lab space. Below is a summary of the three buildings’ occupancy rates and tenants.

Full text:  http://www.news.ku.edu/2011/november/8/btbc.shtml

Mencuro Therapeutics moves into BTBC Expansion Facility

October 17, 2011

LAWRENCE — The Bioscience & Technology Business Center at the University of Kansas will house another biotech company with ties to the university.

Mencuro Therapeutics Inc., a drug development company focused on pain treatment, has leased space at the BTBC Expansion Facility, located at 4950 Research Parkway. The company will create one new position — a biologist — and plans to add additional scientists within the next year.

Mencuro utilizes technologies developed by Tom Prisinzano, a medicinal chemist at KU, and Laura Bohn, a neuroscientist at The Scripps Research Institute in Florida. Prisinzano and Bohn teamed up with colleagues Robert Karr and Randy Weiss to launch the company earlier this year.

“We’re excited to locate in Lawrence as part of the BTBC at KU incubator system,” said Prisinzano, an associate professor in the medicinal chemistry department. “We considered locations in Iowa City and Kansas City, but the BTBC was clearly the best option. The BTBC gives us great lab space and a range of business and financing services. Most importantly, this location gives Mencuro access to KU equipment, technology and researchers, including me and my Malott Hall lab. It’s ideal for an early stage biotech company like Mencuro.”

Mencuro will collaborate with various KU units, including the department of medicinal chemistry, as well as the department of pharmaceutical chemistry in the KU School of Pharmacy.

Mencuro becomes the 11th company to locate in the BTBC at KU incubator system, which comprises three buildings — the BTBC Main Facility and the BTBC Expansion Facility in Lawrence, and the BTBC at KUMC Facility in Kansas City. Mencuro is the second tenant in the Expansion Facility, joining KU spinout CritiTech.

“It’s been just 14 months since we launched the BTBC, and we already have 11 tenants,” said Matthew McClorey, executive director of the BTBC. “The BTBC is clearly attracting some great bioscience and technology companies, and offering them a unique location. By locating here, companies have direct access to KU resources, including some of the world’s leading scientists. This location fosters collaboration between research and industry, which will drive commercialization of university-based research and bring life-improving discoveries to market more quickly.”

The most effective painkillers on the market today are opioids, which account for most of the $50 billion global annual painkiller market. But many of the most effective ones — including morphine, oxycodone, and hydrocodone — come with unwanted side effects such as tolerance, dependence, constipation and risk of overdose. Prisinzano and Bohn have developed compounds that produce pain relief without engaging signaling pathways that lead to these side effects.

“We’re trying to take the strongest, most potent painkillers and eliminate the side effects so they’re more like Advil or Tylenol,” Prisinzano said. “This could lead to incredible quality-of-life improvements for people around the world, including those who live with chronic pain.”

Mencuro’s technologies could also have major cost implications. Pain is the most common symptom for which patients seek medical attention. According to the American Pain Society, prevalence of chronic pain in the United States is 35 percent, or 105 million people. This costs more than $100 billion per year in direct health-care expenditure and lost work time.

The Mencuro announcement is the latest good news for the BTBC. On Sept. 27, leaders from KU and various economic development groups hosted a dedication ceremony for the new BTBC at KUMC Facility in Kansas City. Just a few weeks before that, biotech company Gyrasol announced it would become the sixth tenant in the BTBC at KU Main Facility.

“The BTBC at KU is doing exactly what it was designed to do,” said Julie Goonewardene, associate vice chancellor for innovation and entrepreneurship at KU. “We’ve created an entrepreneurial environment where software businesses, drug development companies, advanced manufacturing businesses and information technology companies can access everything they need in one place. As a result, the BTBC continues to be an incredible economic development engine for Kansas.”

BTBC Background
The BTBC at KU provides state-of-the-art wet lab and office space, access to KU resources and research expertise, and business support services such as capital-raising and consulting services from incubator staff. The BTBC system consists of three facilities: the Main Facility, located on the KU campus at 2029 Becker Drive; the Expansion Facility, located at 4950 Research Parkway; and a third facility on the KUMC campus. The three buildings combine for nearly 60,000 square feet in office and lab space. Below is a summary of the three buildings’ occupancy rates and tenants.

Full text:  http://www.news.ku.edu/2011/october/17/mencuro.shtml

KU Med’s Bioscience & Technology Business Center has official opening

Kansas City Business Journal by David Twiddy

Date: Tuesday, September 27, 2011

The University of Kansas Medical Center’s Bioscience & Technology Business Center officially opened its doors Tuesday, looking to attract more life sciences-based startups.

A group of university administrators and researchers, as well as Kansas City-area bioscience industry leaders, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the business incubator, which is in the remodeled Breidenthal Hall at 2002 W. 39th Ave. in Kansas City, Kan.

The center actually began operating in the spring, housing three companies that employ a total of 11 people, while final touches were made to the facility. Officials said the center, with 30,000 square feet of usable office and wet-lab space, has room for seven or eight more companies.

The center gives the KU system a total of 60,000 square feet of biotech incubator space, including two facilities in Lawrence.

KU Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little said the facility will give entrepreneurs access to top researchers and spinoff technologies.

“The BTBC is a unique model that will encourage collaboration between KU and industry, and this collaboration will accelerate commercialization of university research, which means we can move more quickly to have life-changing discoveries from university labs introduced into human trials and eventually patient bedsides,” Gray-Little said.

Among the companies already operating at the center is Orbis Biosciences, which is developing a number of pharmaceutical and food products using KU research.

Orbis still is as far as two years from commercializing the research, but it’s grown from one to five full-time employees since opening in 2008, Orbis President Maria Flynn said.

“While we can be experts in the technology, we can’t be experts at every possible application of this technology, and we need to look outside of our company — and many of those experts we can find here,” Flynn said.

The $6 million center was paid for through a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, $2 million from the Kansas Bioscience Authority  and $1 million from the university.

Full text can be found here:  http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2011/09/27/ku-meds-bioscience-technology.html

LAWRENCE — The Bioscience & Technology Business Center at the University of Kansas (BTBC at KU) Main Facility has secured its sixth tenant.

Gyrasol Technologies, a molecular diagnostics and drug testing company, has relocated from Santa Fe, N.M., to the BTBC Main Facility on KU’s west campus. Gyrasol brings two employees and just this week hired two more scientists – both KU graduates – who will begin work this month. The company plans to add as many as 12 additional positions within two years.

Gyrasol specializes in technologies that help predict which drugs will work for cancer patients. The company’s chief science officer, Frauke Rininsland, has invented and patented a sensing system that detects how a cell’s signaling network is changed in cancer. With this information, doctors can select those drugs that interact with the faulty signaling targets and test the efficiency of a treatment outside the body — before subjecting patients to costly and potentially harmful treatments.

Gyrasol will work closely with the High Throughput Screening Laboratory, the Ralph N. Adams Institute for Bioanalytical Chemistry, and the Bioinformatics Center at KU, as well as KU researchers in medicinal chemistry, oncology and pharmacology. The company will also utilize student interns from KU.

Gyrasol becomes the sixth company to lease space in the BTBC Main Facility since it opened in summer 2010. Other tenants include 360 Energy Engineers, an engineering and energy management firm; Garmin, a global leader in navigation and communication devices; BrightEHR, an electronic health records company; Sunlite Science and Technology, a producer of specialty LED products; and Propylon, a producer of software systems for state legislatures.

“We’re excited to welcome Gyrasol as our sixth tenant,” said Matthew McClorey, executive director of the BTBC. “The fact that we recruited a cutting-edge biotechnology company to move from New Mexico to Kansas speaks well of the BTBC’s unique assets.”

Gyrasol has leased 720 square feet of space in the BTBC, with access to shared facilities and services. The 21,400-square-foot Main Facility is now 66 percent leased and houses 52 total employees.

Gyrasol president and CEO Susan Burgess – who earned her PhD in pharmacology from KU in 1980 – cited the BTBC’s facilities, its access to KU resources, and the financial support network provided by the BTBC and its partners in the decision to Lawrence. She said Gyrasol considered other locations, including San Diego, but decided Kansas is “at the exciting end of the growth curve.”

“The BTBC at KU – and more broadly, the state of Kansas – is on the front end of some big things in biotechnology and entrepreneurship,” said Burgess, who has founded or co-founded four bioscience companies, including Gyrasol. “We were looking for a strong intellectual environment and a strong financial support system, and we found both in Kansas. There’s so much upside to being here.”

Burgess said she first learned of the BTBC at KU earlier this year while visiting Lawrence for her father’s birthday.

“As a KU grad, I knew about KU’s great research expertise in pharmaceutical sciences, but I was unaware of all the recent activity on west campus, including the BTBC, the Multidisciplinary Research Building and the new School of Pharmacy,” she said. “When I saw all of that, I knew we would want to further explore bringing the company here.”

In May, Burgess and Rininsland visited with McClorey and LaVerne Epp, president of the Lawrence Douglas County Bioscience Authority (LDCBA), as well as Julie Goonewardene, associate vice chancellor for innovation and entrepreneurship at KU, and key academic collaborators. Burgess and Rininsland quickly became convinced that Lawrence provided the environment that would support Gyrasol’s growth plans. With funding assistance from the LDCBA and Douglas County Development Inc. and support from the Lawrence Regional Technology Center, they soon began the process of moving operations from Santa Fe to Lawrence.

“We’re appreciate the organizations that facilitated this relocation, including the LDCBA and Douglas County Development Inc., which provided funding assistance,” Burgess said. “The name ‘Gyrasol’ comes from the Spanish word for ‘sunflower.’ Now, Gyrasol is firmly planted in rich Kansas soil.”

“This is a great example of economic development organizations partnering with a world-class research university to work with industry,” said Goonewardene. “With assets like the BTBC, we’ll continue to collaborate with business to create jobs and grow the Kansas economy.”

The BTBC provides state-of-the-art wet lab and office space; access to KU resources and research expertise; and business support services such as capital-raising and consulting services from incubator staff. The BTBC system consists of three facilities: the Main Facility, located on the KU campus at 2029 Becker Drive; the Expansion Facility, located near the KU campus at 4950 Research Parkway; and a third facility on the KUMC campus that will be formally dedicated Sept. 27.

The BTBC is a partnership of the Lawrence-Douglas County Bioscience Authority, Lawrence Regional Technology Center, University of Kansas, City of Lawrence, Douglas County, Kansas Bioscience Authority and Lawrence Chamber of Commerce.

Full text can be found here:  http://www.news.ku.edu/2011/september/1/gyrasol.shtml

Recently, Matthew McClorey, President and CEO of the Lawrence Regional Technology Center, presented at a seminar on commercializing technology to the Institute for Advancing Medical Innovation at the University of Kansas.  To view the presentation in its entirety, please click the link at the bottom of the page.

Mr. McClorey serves as the President and CEO of the Lawrence Regional Technology Center (“LRTC”) where he helps create, build and grow early-stage life sciences and other high-technology companies. McClorey has worked with dozens of start-up technology businesses, specializing in corporate strategy, operations management and early-stage capital financing. Since he joined LRTC, the center’s clients have raised $183,000,000. McClorey also helped raise $7,500,000 to finance the construction of the Bioscience and Technology Business Center at the University of Kansas and managed the design and construction of the facility.

In 2006, McClorey co-founded Mid-America Angels, a regional network of angel investors that provides capital to early-stage, high-growth businesses. Since its inception, the organization has grown to nearly 100 members and has invested ~$8,100,000.

Prior to joining LRTC, McClorey was the Vice President of Business Development and Portfolio Management for the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation (KTEC), where he evaluated start-up technology companies for seed capital investments, managed a multi-million dollar portfolio of high-technology debt and equity investments, and provided management consulting services to portfolio companies.

McClorey came to KTEC from Deloitte Consulting, where he was employed as a senior consultant in the communications practice. While at Deloitte, he worked primarily with Fortune 1000 companies providing strategy and information technology consulting services. McClorey earned his J.D. and M.B.A. from the University of Kansas and his B.A. in Business from Benedictine College.

To view Mr. McClorey’s presentation, please click the following link:

http://merlin.cc.ku.edu:8080/unionav/QT/IAMI/MatthewMcClorey7_13_11.mov

By Chad Lawhorn — Lawrence Journal-World
November 11, 2010

The latest set of directions on Garmin’s GPS units leads to Kansas University’s West Campus.

The leader of the Bioscience and Technology Business Center on KU’s West Campus confirmed Wednesday that Olathe-based Garmin Ltd. has signed a deal to open a software office in the incubator. The office is expected to open in January and will include 12 to 15 software employees.

“We’re thrilled to have them as a tenant here,” said Matt McClorey, director of the incubator and president of the Lawrence Regional Technology Center. “We’re excited that we have a facility they like.”

Garmin, which makes GPS technology devices, marks the fourth company to sign a lease in the center since it opened in August. McClorey said the center recently signed two other tenants: BrightEHR, an electronics health records company that is partially owned by Lawrence-based Bert Nash Mental Health Center; and Sunlite Science and Technology, a Lawrence company that makes specialty LED flashlights and is poised to enter the LED industrial lighting market.

The center previously confirmed Dublin-Ireland based Propylon Inc. opened a 14-employee office in the center to support its business of creating computer software systems for state legislatures.

In total, the new 21,000-square-foot incubator building — located across the street from KU’s new pharmacy school and the Multi Disciplinary Research Building — is 40 percent leased.

“We’re very pleased with how we’ve kicked things off here,” McClorey said. “We’re a bit ahead of schedule, actually.”

Once Garmin opens its offices, the center is expected to have about 30 employees, almost entirely in the high-tech sector.

“We’re working on compiling the data now, but I think compared to the average wage in Douglas County, these jobs are going to exceed the average by a significant amount,” McClorey said.

The early success has some local leaders feeling more confident in the decision to invest in the $7.5 million incubator facility. The city and county each have agreed to invest $75,000 per year for 10 years, with the university, the KU Endowment, the Lawrence-Douglas County Bioscience Authority and the Kansas Bioscience Authority all providing funding as well.

“I think we’re seeing some early signs that the decision to build this facility was the right one,” said city Commissioner Mike Dever, who also serves on the local Bioscience authority.

But the early successes haven’t necessarily been of the variety first expected. The center — which has multiple wet labs — was proposed with expectations that bioscience companies would be the main tenants. But thus far, all four tenants have been more technology-oriented.

McClorey, though, said he’s negotiating deals with two potential bioscience companies, including a true start-up that would utilize research done at KU.

In the meantime, the center is filling pent-up demand from technology companies that want to be close to the engineering and computer software talent available at KU.

Although exact details of the types of jobs Garmin will bring to the center weren’t available — an attempt to reach a Garmin spokesman wasn’t immediately successful — McClorey said the company clearly was looking to establish more relationships with the university.

“Being able to tell companies that we can put you right in the heart of KU’s prime research area, and that we can help you develop relationships has been very important,” McClorey said. “Having that presence on the university campus is a big deal to a lot of companies.”

By Chad Lawhorn — Lawrence Journal-World

November 11, 2010

Here’s a look at the two newest tenants at the Bioscience and Technology Business Center.

BrightEHR has developed an electronic records system specifically for mental health centers. The mental health niche makes it rare in the growing electronic medical records industry, but its most unusual aspect is its ownership. The Lawrence-based Bert Nash Mental Health Center is one of the partners in the company.

Bert Nash — along with the Wyandot Mental Health Center in Kansas City and the Family Service and Guidance Center in Topeka — were using an electronic records program from a fledgling company. In 2009, when the company indicated it may move out of the medical records industry, Bert Nash along with the Topeka and Wyandotte centers each paid $50,000 to purchase the company in order to keep using the software.

“We wanted to keep the record system because it is the only one we’ve found that we really like,” said David Johnson, CEO of Bert Nash. “The decision was fairly simple because the amount of money we’ve put into the company is much less than it would cost us to switch to a new system.”

Johnson said a comparable system likely would have cost Bert Nash close to $500,000.

Once the three firms took over ownership, though, they began to wonder whether there was the potential to sell the software to other mental health centers. At that point, the Lawrence Regional Technology Center reviewed the company and became excited about its prospects.

The new company — which now has three employees — hired Lawrence resident Bob Etzel to serve as its CEO, and it moved into the incubator facility in October. Etzel, who is a former executive with Southwestern Bell, said the company has a bright future because about 90 percent of all patient records are still kept on paper.

“There’s a really strong need to get those records converted over to an electronic format,” Etzel said.

The company believes its software system has an advantage over others because it has been developed by actual mental health centers.

The project is not without risk, though. Bert Nash has had to invest another $300,000 into the company since its original $50,000 investment.

But Johnson said he still feels good about the decision. He said the $300,000 is expected to get the company to the point of making sales, and that the total amount is still less than he would have spent to buy a new system.

He also stressed none of the money has come from the city or county grants that Bert Nash receives. Instead, Bert Nash has an endowment that has been funded through private donations.

“At this point, we feel like the risks have been pretty limited and the rewards could be great if this takes off with a lot of sales,” Johnson said.

• • •

Sunlite Science and Technology is looking to make the jump from a company that makes specialty LED flashlights to a major player in the $4.9 billion high-power LED lighting industry.

Jeff Chen, a founder of the company, said Sunlite has patented technology that reduces the heat output of high-power LED lighting, and ultimately increases the life expectancy of LED products.

The company, which has a manufacturing presence in China, is focusing on making lights for industrial users. The big selling point is that a 150-watt high power LED light can take the place of a 400-watt traditional industrial light.

The company actually has existed in Lawrence since 1997, but has made its living by selling specialty LED flashlights through the SnapOn company and to various security firms. Flashlight sales have grown to $1.2 million, but Chen said the company wants to get into traditional lighting as the incandescent light bulb appears destined to disappear.

“We think it could be a huge market,” Chen said.

The company has four full-time employees in Lawrence, but anticipates adding sales and marketing positions in the future.

By Mark Fagan — Lawrence Journal-World

October 8, 2010

A new company developing software and records-management services for behavioral health centers will start making calls on possible customers next week, all from its new home in a business incubator on Kansas University’s West Campus.

One employee. One product.

Unlimited potential.

“Within two years, we expect to have at least 10 employees here,” said Bob Etzel, CEO of BrightEHR. “Within four to five years, we should be up around $10 million to $12 million (in sales).”

The company joins Propylon, which creates computer systems for state governments, as the first tenants in the new $7.5 million Bioscience & Technology Business Center, 2029 Becker Drive.

More than 120 business leaders, university officials, government representatives and others gathered Friday afternoon to dedicate the center, one they look forward to filling up with business employees and clients in the coming weeks, months and years.

No longer are businesses opportunities merely an “occasional byproduct” of KU research, Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little said.

“We are seeking opportunities to foster research collaboration and instill a more entrepreneurial culture at KU throughout the campus,” she told the crowd. “There’s a heightened sense of urgency for this because, in this economy, Kansas needs us to fill this role now more than ever.”

The center aims to transfer campus research and area expertise into products and services that can thrive in a competitive high-tech economy. BrightEHR, for example, is backed by the expertise and investment of Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center in Lawrence.

“It’s going to give them good return on their investment,” Etzel said.

Working together to finance the center are KU, the city of Lawrence, Douglas County, Lawrence-Douglas County Biosciences Authority, Kansas Bioscience Authority and KU Endowment Association.

Such cooperation is key to enabling businesses to commercialize their products and create jobs, Sen. Pat Roberts said.

“This is exactly the kind of partnership we need to continue to move Lawrence and the Kansas economy forward,” said Roberts, R-Kan. “It’s also just one more example of the cooperation we need to complete what I call the Kansas high-tech corridor — to run along K-10 from Johnson County to Lawrence to I-70 in Topeka and on to Manhattan.

“I have no doubt the high-tech job potential of this corridor could and can be a driver in the Kansas economy for years to come.”