The closing of a business incubator in Cincinnati has prompted
NanoLogix, the Hubbard-based firm specializing in early detection of harmful microorganisms, to move its main R&D laboratory.
Instead of the Queen City, the lab will now be housed in the company's 4,000-square-foot headquarters building in Hubbard.
"It was an unanticipated move, but one that ultimately we're happy with," says Bret Barnhizer, NanoLogix's CEO.
For the past five years, NanoLogix's research and development was being done at the BioStart incubator in Cincinnati by a team of scientists. The company had even planned to expand that team, adding a two more scientists. That changed abruptly earlier this summer, when the site announced it would close by Sept. 30.
According to Barnhizer, it didn't take long to come to the conclusion that consolidation was in the company's best interest.
"We looked around and there wasn't a deal with incentives like we had with BioStart. We had a phenomenal deal that gave us access to equipment and facilities we couldn't find elsewhere. But, we had this extra space in Hubbard. We happened to have just completed a clean-room production facility. And, if you needed to talk to one of our scientists, all you would have to do is walk down the hall," he says. "It turned out to be a wonderful move for us."
Now, all NanoLogix activities, from R&D to production and management, will be under one roof. The move comes at a time when the firm continues to validate their work on early detection of bacteria and other harmful microorganisms, including a 300-patient clinical trial being conducted at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston and work on new a new product line that could lead to early detection of tuberculosis.
According to Barnhizer, the work will continue seamlessly.
"We'll be scaling down our operations in Cincinnati about the same time we start working in Hubbard," he explains. "The move will help us save thousands of dollars per month in rent we won't have to pay, not to mention the efficiency savings involved."
With most of their lab staff opting to remain in Cincinnati, NanoLogix will also be hiring new scientists to man the new lab. The staff additions planned for Cincinnati will bring additional staff to the Hubbard site, he says.
"I won't denigrate the work our people in Cincinnati did for us, but this is a natural move. We're excited about the opportunities it affords us as we move forward," says Barnhizer.
Source: Bret T. Barnhizer, NanoLogix
Writer: Dave Malaska