Charles D’Agostino, executive director of the LSU Louisiana Business & Technology Center, recently gave a presentation at the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge, where he spoke about the LSU Innovation Park, the 240-acre research and technology park located on LSU’s South Campus. The meeting was held Wednesday, December 14, 2011, at Boudreaux’s.

“We’ve had a tremendous opportunity from an economic development and a technology commercialization standpoint, and LSU is going to be the leader in developing this property into one of the top economic development engines, not only for Baton Rouge, but for the state of Louisiana,” D’Agostino said.

Along with the LBTC building, which has 32 businesses in its small business incubator that boast 155 jobs, the LSU Innovation Park property is also home to a 50-acre National Guard facility with 60-full-time employees and an EA Sports video gaming facility with 350 game testers and developers.

“Our mission is really simple,” D’Agostino said. “We want to create wealth in this community, and we want to create vibrant businesses with jobs for our graduates and for those who have moved away so that they will come back and get good, high-paying quality jobs.”

Louisiana Public Broadcasting videoed D’Agostino’s appearance and is hosting it on its website. The video can be viewed online at http://beta.lpb.org/index.php/newsmakers/.

The Louisiana Business & Technology Center, an integral part of LSU’s E. J. Ourso College of Business’ Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute, endeavors to enhance economic development in Louisiana through the support of existing small businesses and the development of new businesses. Established in 1988, the LBTC’s highly successful business incubator program has been honored as the National Business Incubator Association’s Incubator of the Year. For more information, visit www.bus.lsu.edu/lbtc or call 225-578-7555.

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