Business resources in Lawrence

Community & Workforce Partners

Collaborating With a Diverse Range of Organizations

Our goal is to provide our company tenants with the best resources. We work with several community and workforce partners that keep KU Innovation Park moving forward.

Community partners

01.

KanREN

internet connectivity

Through a partnership between the KU Innovation Park and KanREN, we are able to offer our tenants an ultra-high speed, low-latency internet connection at an additional cost that is highly competitive.

Connectivity to the Park’s Main and Phase 3 facilities is a 10Gb fiber link into KanREN’s backbone with a 1Gb dropout to the tenant’s router or network equipment. This KanREN connectivity provides internet connectivity and direct Internet 2 connectivity to thousands of research universities and laboratories worldwide. KanREN is the only Internet 2 provider in the state of Kansas. Connectivity is redundant and supports multicast, Quality of Service, IPV6, MPLS, jumbo frames, and other advanced protocols and services. By allowing everyone full access to the KU Innovation Park connection with KanREN, tenants will achieve a better end-user experience that is faster, more robust, and capable of absorbing high-volume transient use.

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02.

Venture360

raising and managing capital

Whether raising money or investing it, you need a responsive and organized solution in your corner.

Venture360 simplifies the back office across entrepreneurs, fund managers, and investors—from application to exit.

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03.

Douglas County

e-community

The NetWork Kansas Entrepreneurship Community (E-Community) program is geared towards identifying and developing resources to assist local entrepreneurs in starting or growing a business.

The partnership’s goals are to grow an entrepreneurial environment supportive of business startups and expansions, engage and develop entrepreneurial resources to meet community and business needs, and provide matching loans to entrepreneurs and small businesses through a revolving loan fund. The locally administered revolving loan fund provides gap financing to entrepreneurs within the E-Community.

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04.

Kansas Department of Commerce

(kdoc)

KDOC works closely with KU Innovation Park to create, grow, and retain innovative Kansas startups by directing State economic development resources to these companies through programs such as the Kansas Jobs Creation Fund and the Kansas Angel Investment Tax Credits program.

Kansas has recently implemented its first comprehensive economic development strategy since 1986, which was developed with input from regional partners, including the Park. KDOC’s ‘Framework for Growth,’ grounded in four pillars (Talent, Innovation, Community Assets, and Policy), aligns directly with the KU Innovation Park’s strategic initiatives. KDOC has indicated its strong support and commitment to the continued partnership through existing funding mechanisms and policy initiatives that will benefit innovation-focused companies.

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05.

Economic Development Administration

EDA awarded the Park a $7.8 million Disaster and Recovery grant in 2020 to build its Phase III incubator expansion facility.

That award has helped to lay the groundwork for the formal creation of the Park. In 2021, the Park was the recipient of a $1.5 million Build to Scale award, which has allowed the creation and formalization of an accelerator program focused on fostering the development of strategic industry clusters that leverage the strengths of the University of Kansas. The EDA has strongly supported the KU Innovation Park vision, making it a fundamental partner in the organization’s growth.

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06.

BioKansas

BioKansas works toward advancing Kansas’ bioscience ecosystem through support for bioscience research, commercialization, training, and business development.

BioKansas provides meaningful content, connections, and advocacy to advance the state’s bioscience industry. They also provide Bio Business Solutions, which pools the purchasing power of thousands of life sciences companies to negotiate bulk pricing and favorable terms. Companies large and small can enjoy the great rates and benefits that come with having close to $724 million in purchasing power behind them.

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07.

Douglas County CORE

for entrepreneurs

Connection Opportunities Research for Entrepreneurs (CORE) is a community initiative to energize Douglas County’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

08.

Animal Health Corridor

The Kansas City Animal Health Corridor, which spans from Manhattan, Kansas to Columbia, Missouri, is home to more than 300 animal health comanies-representing the largest concentration in the world.

The KC Animal Health Corridor offers networking, specialized education and training, research collaboration, legislative advocacy, specialized tax and incentive programs, and business relocation assistance.

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09.

KCSourceLink

NetWork Kansas is a statewide network of non-profit business-building resources that help entrepreneurs and small business owners startup and grow successful businesses.

Community partners

01.

KanREN

internet connectivity
+

Through a partnership between the KU Innovation Park and KanREN, we are able to offer our tenants an ultra-high speed, low-latency internet connection at an additional cost that is highly competitive.

Connectivity to the Park’s Main and Phase 3 facilities is a 10Gb fiber link into KanREN’s backbone with a 1Gb dropout to the tenant’s router or network equipment. This KanREN connectivity provides internet connectivity and direct Internet 2 connectivity to thousands of research universities and laboratories worldwide. KanREN is the only Internet 2 provider in the state of Kansas. Connectivity is redundant and supports multicast, Quality of Service, IPV6, MPLS, jumbo frames, and other advanced protocols and services. By allowing everyone full access to the KU Innovation Park connection with KanREN, tenants will achieve a better end-user experience that is faster, more robust, and capable of absorbing high-volume transient use.

02.

Venture360

raising and managing capital
+

Whether raising money or investing it, you need a responsive and organized solution in your corner.

Venture360 simplifies the back office across entrepreneurs, fund managers, and investors—from application to exit.

03.

Douglas County

e-community
+

The NetWork Kansas Entrepreneurship Community (E-Community) program is geared towards identifying and developing resources to assist local entrepreneurs in starting or growing a business.

The partnership’s goals are to grow an entrepreneurial environment supportive of business startups and expansions, engage and develop entrepreneurial resources to meet community and business needs, and provide matching loans to entrepreneurs and small businesses through a revolving loan fund. The locally administered revolving loan fund provides gap financing to entrepreneurs within the E-Community.

04.

Kansas Department of Commerce

(kdoc)
+

KDOC works closely with KU Innovation Park to create, grow, and retain innovative Kansas startups by directing State economic development resources to these companies through programs such as the Kansas Jobs Creation Fund and the Kansas Angel Investment Tax Credits program.

Kansas has recently implemented its first comprehensive economic development strategy since 1986, which was developed with input from regional stakeholders, including the Park. KDOC’s ‘Framework for Growth,’ grounded in four pillars (Talent, Innovation, Community Assets, and Policy), aligns directly with the KU Innovation Park’s strategic initiatives. KDOC has indicated its strong support and commitment to the continued partnership through existing funding mechanisms and policy initiatives that will benefit innovation-focused companies.

05.

Economic Development Administration

+

EDA awarded the Park a $7.8 million Disaster and Recovery grant in 2020 to build its Phase III incubator expansion facility.

That award has helped to lay the groundwork for the formal creation of the Park. In 2021, the Park was the recipient of a $1.5 million Build to Scale award, which has allowed the creation and formalization of an accelerator program focused on fostering the development of strategic industry clusters that leverage the strengths of the University of Kansas. The EDA has strongly supported the KU Innovation Park vision, making it a fundamental partner in the organization’s growth.

06.

BioKansas

+

BioKansas works toward advancing Kansas’ bioscience ecosystem through support for bioscience research, commercialization, training, and business development.

BioKansas provides meaningful content, connections, and advocacy to advance the state’s bioscience industry. They also provide Bio Business Solutions, which pools the purchasing power of thousands of life sciences companies to negotiate bulk pricing and favorable terms. Companies large and small can enjoy the great rates and benefits that come with having close to $724 million in purchasing power behind them.

07.

Douglas County CORE

for entrepreneurs

Connection Opportunities Research for Entrepreneurs (CORE) is a community initiative to energize Douglas County’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

08.

Animal Health Corridor

+

The Kansas City Animal Health Corridor, which spans from Manhattan, Kansas to Columbia, Missouri, is home to more than 300 animal health comanies-representing the largest concentration in the world.

The KC Animal Health Corridor offers networking, specialized education and training, research collaboration, legislative advocacy, specialized tax and incentive programs, and business relocation assistance.

09.

KCSourceLink

NetWork Kansas is a statewide network of non-profit business-building resources that help entrepreneurs and small business owners startup and grow successful businesses.

Connecting Our Companies With Skilled Employees

KU Innovation Park partners with regional workforce development organizations to develop targeted workforce training designed to connect Park companies directly with skilled workers.

Interested in partnering with us?

Reach out to learn more about becoming a regional network partner of KU Innovation Park.

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A portrait of Kerri Johnson smiling

Sarah Plinsky

Administrator, Douglas County

Sarah Plinsky was hired as the County Administrator in September 2019 after serving in the interim position for nine months. She is currently a member of the board for KU Innovation Park. Before becoming the administrator, she had served as the Assistant County Administrator since December 2010. Previously, Sarah was the Assistant to the County Manager in Johnson County, Kansas. In Johnson County, she also served as the Interim Assistant County Manager for the Community Services Team and Interim Director of Public Health. Sarah is a graduate of Leadership ICMA (International City and County Management Association) and the Senior Executive Institute at the University of Virginia. She holds a B.A. in political science and a Master’s in public administration from the University of Kansas.

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Craig Owens

City Manager, City of Lawrence

Craig Owens began serving as City Manager of Lawrence in July 2019 after serving as City Manager for the City of Clayton, Missouri, for 11 years. Over the past 25 years, he has served similar positions for the cities of Rowlett, Texas, O’Fallon, Illinois, and Hazelwood, Missouri. Craig holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, and a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Kansas. He is a member of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). Craig is a former president of the Missouri City/County Management Association and the St. Louis Area City/County Management Association.

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Bonnie Lowe

President & CEO, The Chamber, Lawrence

Bonnie Lowe has been the president and chief executive officer of The Chamber of Lawrence since January 2019. In that role, she is responsible for leadership, strategic planning, and management functions. She had earned her Bachelor of Science in Finance from Fort Hays State University. Before her current position, Bonnie was the chief operations officer for the Chamber. For four years before working with the Chamber, Bonnie was a senior civil investigator for the US Attorney’s Office. In Lawrence, from 1998 to 2008, Bonnie worked as the Community Bank President. She also served on the Lawrence City Commission.

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Steven W. Stites, M.D., F.A.C.P., F.A.C.C.P

Executive Vice President, Clinical Affairs & Chief Medical Officer, KU Medical Center

Dr. Steve Stites joined the hospital’s leadership team as senior vice president of clinical affairs in February 2012 and became executive vice president and chief medical officer for the health system in July 2018. He serves a dual role as vice chancellor for clinical affairs at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Dr. Stites received his medical degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He completed his residency and chief residency in internal medicine at the University of Rochester and a fellowship at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

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Mark Shiflett, Ph.D., P.E.

Co-Founder & CSO of Icorium, Distinguished Foundation Professor

Dr. Mark Shiflett is a Distinguished Foundation Professor in the School of Engineering at the University of Kansas (KU), where his research focuses on developing environmentally friendly, energy-efficient processes and products for the chemical industry. He retired from the DuPont Company after 28 years in 2016 as a Technical Fellow in the Central Research and Development Organization at DuPont’s Experimental Station in Wilmington, Delaware. Mark is an inventor on 46 U.S. patents and has published over 130 articles on his research at DuPont. He is also the co-founder and chief science officer of Icorium Engineering Company, a KU spin-out company revolutionizing refrigerant reclamation with efficient, complete separation of even the most complex mixes.

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Derek Kwan

Board Secretary – Executive Director, Lied Center of Kansas

Derek Kwan serves as the Lawrence Chamber Board Chair and secretary of KU Innovation Park’s Board of Directors. He has served as the Executive Director of the Lied Center of Kansas since January 2014. Derek previously worked for Interlochen Center for the Arts as the Executive Director of Interlochen Presents. At the Lincoln Center in New York City, Derek served as the Vice President of Concerts and Touring for Jazz and the Associate Director of Programming & Concert Operations for Jazz. A voting member of the Recording Academy, he has production credits on over 60 albums. Derek also serves as a board member for the LMH Health Foundation.

A portrait of Kerri Johnson smiling

Michele Hammann, CPA/PFS, CVA

Treasurer - Chief Strategy Officer, SSC CPAs + Advisors

Michele received her Master of Accounting and Information Systems from the University of Kansas in 2001. She is a member of the American Institute of CPAs, the Kansas Society of CPAs and the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts. She is the past Chair of the Board of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce and A past President of Junior Achievement of Douglas County. In 2019, Michele received the KSCPA/AICPA ‘Women to Watch’ Experienced Leader Award.

A portrait of Kerri Johnson smiling

Karen Willey, Ph.D.

Commissioner, Douglas County

Karen Willey earned her Ph.D. in Geography from KU before starting and operating several successful businesses in Douglas County. Her latest company, FarmTender, LLC, is producing an online application geared toward expanding regenerative farming practices in Kansas. Currently, Dr. Willey leverages her 25 years of nonprofit board experience through her work as a professional consultant and grant writer with Futureful, a local consulting group serving health, housing, and human services nonprofits, mainly in urban Kansas City. In 2022, she was appointed to fulfill an unexpired term on the Douglas County Commission. Additionally, Dr. Willey serves as the President of BRAC, a local housing nonprofit, as a volunteer firefighter with Willow Springs Fire District, as a member of the NAACP Legal Redress Committee, and in many other community roles.

A portrait of Kerri Johnson smiling

Douglas Girod, M.D.

Board Chair - Chancellor, University of Kansas

Douglas Girod, M.D., has been the Chancellor of KU since 2017, where he established a bold vision for the University of Kansas to be a destination for top scholars from across the world, an engine of economic growth for Kansas, and one of the nation’s leading research universities. Chancellor Girod received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry at the University of California at Davis and his M.D. from the University of California at San Francisco. He is involved with several other organizations, including as a board member of the AAU, Civic Council of Kansas City, chambers of commerce in Lawrence and Greater Kansas City, and MRI Global. Chancellor Girod was recognized with a Regional Leadership Award from the Mid-America Regional Council in 2016 for his work with KC Rising.

A portrait of Kerri Johnson smiling

Mike Dever

Vice Mayor, City of Lawrence

Mike Dever was elected to the Lawrence City Commission in 2023 and serves as Vice Mayor. Mike is the president and CEO of GuideWire Consulting, LLC. He supervises the entire staff and all departmental services and oversees a wide variety of environmental and property assessment services.

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Kate Chinn

Incoming Chair, The Chamber of Lawrence

Kate Chinn is the chair-elect for The Chamber’s Board of Directors. Kate owns Express Employment Professionals in Lawrence, a leading staffing provider helping job seekers find work with a wide variety of local businesses.

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Benjamin Shaw

Business Analyst

Benjamin Shaw is a recent graduate of the University of Kansas, earning a degree in chemical engineering with a minor in biomedical engineering. Ben was awarded a Self Memorial Scholarship for his fifth year of education to earn an MBA. As an analyst, he assists the KU Innovation Park team and its tenants with their various business and project needs. Outside of the Park, Benjamin is active in research and student organizations like Engineers Without Borders KU. He also enjoys attending Dole Institute of Politics events, Lied Center of Kansas shows and KU Women’s Basketball games.

A portrait of Kerri Johnson smiling

Claire Milroy

Business Analyst

Claire Milroy is a senior at the University of Kansas studying business analytics with a sociology minor. She is involved with many aspects of the Park, including market and commercialization analysis for startups, managing current tenants’ business needs, and assisting the team with other projects as needed. In addition to her responsibilities as a student and business analyst, Claire is a business writing coach, Business Leadership Program Student Executive Board member and AdventHealth volunteer.

A portrait of Kerri Johnson smiling

Kerri Johnson

Internal Operations Manager

Kerri Johnson manages the Park’s day-to-day operations, including all administrative and front office matters, managing activities, handling scheduling, and working with service providers to maintain and improve building efficiency and Park staff productivity.

A portrait of Mike Smithyman smiling

Michael Smithyman

Director of Operations

Mike Smithyman manages plant operations and construction, handles leasing and related client interfaces, and works with tenants and prospective tenants to meet various business growth, management, and operational needs. He brings years of experience in the commercial real estate industry to the Park. Additionally, Mike tracks and manages the Park’s economic metrics.

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Chris Rehkamp

Director of Business Services

Chris Rehkamp is an experienced entrepreneurial ecosystem builder and has supported the launch and growth of new businesses for nearly a decade. An entrepreneur himself, Rehkamp most recently served as associate director of the Technology Venture Studio at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Innovation Center. Chris has a Master of Professional Studies in Technology Entrepreneurship from the University of Maryland. Startland News named him a Community Builder to Watch in 2022.

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Lindsey Slater

Vice President of Strategic Communications

Lindsey Slater oversees strategic communications for the Park, raising brand awareness to drive business development and expansion while providing support to resident companies. An experienced communications professional with a knack for storytelling, Lindsey highlights the strengths of the Park and its companies through the written word, video and beyond. She most recently was the director of communications and storytelling for the Association of Chamber of Commerce Professionals.

A portrait of Adam Courtney smiling

Adam Courtney

Chief Executive Officer & Board President

As CEO, Adam Courtney provides strategic and operational leadership of the Park, including overseeing business operations, strategic initiatives and resource management, and fostering the Park’s culture, mission and vision. Adam previously worked for the Federal Housing Finance Agency. He served as the Park’s chief financial officer for ten years before being named CEO and president of the Board in March 2024.