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November 19, 2004 Purdue Research Park company outgrows the nestWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A ribbon-cutting ceremony today (Friday, Nov. 19) to dedicate gh LLC's new headquarters marks the company's official "graduation" from the Purdue Research Park's incubator program.
"Today's event exemplifies all three aspects of the university's mission: discovery, learning and engagement," said Martin C. Jischke, president of Purdue University and the Purdue Research Foundation. "We have helped develop a new technology, created a company that provides jobs for Hoosiers, and opened doors for new teaching opportunities." Four years ago, gh LLC's founders David Schleppenbach and Joe Said formed a startup company in two small rooms within the park's flagship business incubator, the Purdue Technology Center. Their information and assistive technology company developed a content-independent media conversion process to make print material more accessible to people coping with blindness, low vision, learning disabilities or other print disabilities. "Being part of the Purdue family has helped to make our ideas a reality," said Schleppenbach, gh's CEO. "We're proud to have been on the ground floor of a economic development initiative that will bolster Indiana's economy." The company will continue to operate out of the Purdue Research Park, in offices across the street from the Purdue Technology Center at 1305 Cumberland Ave. Prior to the move, the company occupied slightly less than 9,000 square feet of the incubator's office and manufacturing space, employed 40 people and enjoyed a growing revenue stream fueled by a recently awarded multiyear, multimillion dollar IRS government contract. "At the rate we've been growing, we knew we had to find a location where the company could expand even further, while staying close to the university and the research park," said Dan Cravens, vice president for gh development. "Location is important because our ties with Purdue enable us to attract great employees, usually Purdue's information technology graduates who become familiar with gh through internships." The company's proximity to Purdue also enables gh to easily interact with faculty researchers in Purdue's School of Education, collaborating on the development and assessment of new tools to help students with disabilities. "One of the signature areas for our college is the use of technology to maximize education," said Kevin Kelly, head of the Department of Educational Studies. "In this case, the technology is making education more accessible to students with special needs - especially students who have sight and hearing challenges." While in the incubator, the company benefited from business counsel they received through the Purdue Gateways Program. It also received other amenities that early-stage companies need to succeed, such as high-speed Internet access, videoconferencing capabilities and shared office services. "We've nurtured gh with business guidance, investor connections, public relations assistance and more," said Joseph Hornett, senior vice president and treasurer for the Purdue Research Foundation, which owns and manages the incubator. "And while our ultimate goal has always been gh's success, there's something sadly triumphant about watching the company grow too big to stay in the nest." The nest won't stay empty for long, he added. Other technology companies are waiting in line to move into gh's vacated space. The foundation is continuing to assist companies in the research park even after they have left the incubator. For example, the cost of extending the research park's fiber-optic network to gh LLC and its next-door neighbor, Bioanalytical Systems Inc., will be shared by the two companies, the foundation and gh's landlords. "Any time you start a business, you take a leap of faith," said gh president and chief technology officer Said. "But because we've had so much help along the way, giving the company time to mature, that leap feels more like a step up." The growing company has received both state and national attention, including a grant from the Indiana 21st Century Research and Technology Fund to collaborate with Purdue researchers to develop Mathspeak(tm), which is software technology that allows visually impaired people to assimilate complex mathematical and scientific formulas. The company also received the National Business Incubation Association's 2004 Outstanding Incubator Graduate Award as well as a February 2004 Indiana Innovative Business Award. The monthly honor - sponsored by Bose McKinney & Evans LLP, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and the Midwest Entrepreneurial Education Center - recognizes unique innovations by Indiana companies that have made and continue to make a significant impact on the economic climate of the state. The Purdue Research Park encompasses 591 acres in West Lafayette and is home to the largest university-affiliated, state-of-the-art business incubator complex in the nation. In 2004 the Purdue Research Park was named the top research park in the country by its peers, the 130 members of the Association of University Research Parks. Within the park, 104 businesses, of which 70 are high-tech, employ more than 2,500 people. Writer: Jeanine Phipps, media relations, Purdue Research Park, (765) 494-0748, jeanine@purdue.edu Source: Dave Schleppenbach, CEO, gh LLC, (765) 775-3776, engage@ghbraille.com Dan Cravens, vice president for development, gh LLC, (765) 775-3776, dcraevns@ghbraille.com Related News Stories: gh awarded multimillion dollar contract from federal government Purdue Research Park's gh LLC to receive international honor gh makes reading more efficient for people with disabilities Photo Caption: |
