Business Incubation Catalysts, LLC
PO Box 425
Martinsville, NJ 08836 USA

Phone 732-537-1901
Fax 732 537-1911
E-mail: lcooperhouse@BizIncubation.com
www.bizincubation.com

Lou Cooperhouse is founder of Business Incubation Catalysts, LLC, a consulting organization that provides a broad array of strategic expertise and project management skills to organizations seeking innovative industry-driven solutions for sustainable economic growth. He has extensively studied and applied worldwide best practices in business incubation, and business models that result in entrepreneurship and leadership development, differentiated and globally competitive new products, and the creation of higher-paying jobs in value-added industries. He has conducted a broad range of assignments for a wide variety of sponsor organizations throughout North America, and in Europe, Africa, and China. International projects have included, for example, the development a national strategy for rural revitalization in Nigeria, based on a “One Village One Product” program; the establishment of the first university-led business incubation program in Uganda; and the creation of the infrastructure for the first contract foodservice and fresh-cut produce operation established by a multinational corporation in China. As further examples of the diversity of business incubation assignments that have been developed by BIC, Lou has developed a business plan for a gamma irradiation facility for a federal ministry of Science and Technology, developed a business plan for the development of a venture capital strategy for SME’s (Small and Medium Enterprises) in Africa, and developed a business plan for the establishment of facilities that would house biosafety labs (BSL-2 and BSL-3) for work with Avian Flu, AIDS, malaria, and other highly dangerous pathogens.

Lou has extensive business and technology expertise in both the private and public sector. He currently serves as Director of the Rutgers Food Innovation Center, an extremely successful economic development and business incubation program at Rutgers University, which assists farmers, cooperatives, startups and small to mid-sized food companies with business and technology expertise. This Center has become recognized as a model for economic development at the state, national and international level.

Lou has over twenty years experience in the private sector, mostly at the Vice President and President level, gained in both larger corporate environments and in startup companies, where he has been incubating new businesses and new brands during his entire career. During his career, he has held progressively increasing positions at Campbell Soup Company, ConAgra, and Nestle-funded Culinary Brands in the areas of business development, product development, quality assurance, and operations. He was also the Co-Founder, President and CEO of MenuDirect Corporation, an entrepreneurial venture-capital-backed startup that serviced consumers with special dietary needs, which was chosen by its peers as one of the top 10 Industry Innovators by Nutraceuticals World Magazine in 2000. Additionally, in his role as President of Food Spectrum, LLC, Lou has performed consulting assignments for a number of organizations, including leading manufacturers of value-added products, innovative industry suppliers, progressive retailers, and government, foundation, and university organizations.

Lou is immediate Past-President of the New Jersey Business Incubation Network (NJ BIN), an association of 14 business incubators and innovation centers affiliated with universities and state agencies located throughout New Jersey. He is also a founder of the Food Business Innovation Network (FoodBIN), an international organization currently under development, which has been established to service food and agribusiness incubator centers worldwide with best practices in regional economic development. He has served on the Board of Managers of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, on the Cook College Strategic Plan Visioning Committee, and on the External Advisory Board of the Cook College Food Science Department. In addition, Lou served for a number of years on the Board of Directors, as Conference Chairman, and as Chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee for the Refrigerated Foods Association, an international organization of refrigerated food manufacturers and their suppliers. He currently serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of Fresh Cut magazine, and serves as a contributing author to a number of industry magazines and journals as well. In addition, Lou is a frequently requested speaker at economic development and business incubation conferences, and at food and agribusiness conferences, typically discussing innovations and best practices in these areas of expertise.