RedHawk Holdings Corp. will be expanding its medical device warehouses and administrative offices to the LSU Innovation Park.
The LSU Innovation Park is a 200-plus acre University research park located five miles south of the main campus in Baton Rouge.
G. Darcy Klug, owner and chief financial officer, said RedHawk is a holding company, and its principal holdings are branding generic pharmaceuticals and medical devices.
Klug, who graduated from the University in 1973 with a degree in accounting, is affiliated with the University’s E. J. Ourso College of Business. RedHawk and the LSU Innovation Park were introduced to each other through a mutual friend and later developed a relationship.
Klug said most of the company’s activities have been in the United Kingdom, but it is looking to expand in the Middle East, Latin America and the United States. It needs additional space for the expansion to provide avenues for product testing and the opportunity to look at new products.
“We’re excited about being affiliated with LSU,” Klug said. “I think it offers both sides good opportunities as we bring new products to the table and we use the talents of LSU, LSU faculty [and] LSU students because we work a lot with interns on staff on the administrative side. We think it’s a good relationship.”
Charles D’Agostino, executive director of the LSU Innovation Park, said the park has provided the opportunity for RedHawk to launch its business and provide help for getting its licensed products to the marketplace. It has also given RedHawk a place to manufacture and have access through the University to the medical schools and Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
“It allows us to have access to the University, University talents, the medical school, the Vet school and the school’s relationship with Pennington Biomedical [Research Center],” Klug said.
D’Agostino said the Innovation Center allows the chance for students, graduate students and interns to be hired to assist RedHawk in refining the products and helping to develop marketing plans.
“We help them a lot, which gave them the opportunity to expand,” D’Agostino said, “and of course, we’re excited about that because they’re hiring more people and developing more sales here, which goes into our economy. We really believe there’s an opportunity to really grow the Louisiana economy by expanding these operations.”