York College's J.D. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship has opened its new wet lab incubator space, providing resources and room to grow for its first tenant, MRG Laboratories.
MRG is the developer of the Grease Thief, a patented device that allows sophisticated sampling and analysis of industrial equipment that relies on grease. Industries served include wind turbines, robotics, nuclear power plants and pharmaceutical makers.
Launched in 2007, MRG is on schedule to double its sales this year, says CEO Rich Wurzbach. The company employs nine, including several recent hires, and expects to hire another one or two this fall.
The new digs are helping to make expansion possible. At 3,000 square feet, they are nearly double the company's previous space, says Wurzbach. Amenities such as additional fume hoods, sinks and other equipment, plus light and air, further boost productivity.
Equally important, says Wurzbach, are the benefits of being in an incubator: opportunities for collaboration among the company, York College and local industry through internships, shared resources, employment opportunities and programs such as the college's Chemistry Industry Advisory Council.
For example, MRG is working with students in York's mechanical engineering department on a prototype for a “grease mini-lab,” a portable device that can be used in the field and for which Wurzbach anticipates a large potential market.
Also promising is a modified product under development specifically for robotics applications, “almost a blood test for robots to check the health of this important workforce,” says Wurzbach.
Source: Rich Wurzbach, MRG Laboratories
Writer: Elise Vider