Outstanding Incubator Graduate, Nontechnology Category

Smith Research Corp.

Baton Rouge, La.

Jim Smith, founder

Incubator: Louisiana Business and Technology Center, Baton Rouge, La.

Revenues: $10.2 million

Employees: 48

www.src1.net

Smith Research Corp. is a full-service architectural, engineering and support services firm that conducts projects for business and industry. Since its inception in 1994, SRC has grown from a small incubator client to a multi-million-dollar firm with nearly 50 employees. In 2006, SRC received the Katrina Business of the Year Excellence in Government Contracting award from the Louisiana Procurement Technical Assistance Center. The company plans to move into its own state-of-the art facility in Baton Rouge later this year.

Incubator role: In SRC’s earliest days, one of its biggest challenges was learning how to plan strategically for growth. Luckily, the Louisiana Business & Technology Center was there to help. “The incubator helped us develop strategic plans regarding what solicitations and contracts we should pursue and showed us the best way to obtain them,” says SRC President & CEO Jim Smith. “From marketing tips to proposal preparation, LBTC helped us create and fine tune our business strategic plans.” And their efforts have been successful. Its customers include such big names as the NASA/Stennis Space Center, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Veterans Affairs.