Partnerships
| EQUINE DIAGNOSTIC SOLUTIONS |
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| – HIGH-TECH, HEALTHCARE, HORSES AND A HELPING HAND
By Gina Greathouse and Pat Powell |
| LEXINGTON, KY – Corporate plans to do what? That was exactly the question on many people’s mind when they heard that IDEXX laboratories planned to close its Equine Biodiagnostics division in Lexington and move the services thousands of miles out of horse country. How will that ever work? There has to be an equine reference lab here in the Bluegrass, this is where the majority of the customers are.
Veteran Equine Biodiagnostic employees Amy Graves and Dr. Jennifer Morrow knew that the void of a reference lab in the area would create a tremendous opportunity. With an out pouring of support from former clients, they decided they should seize the opportunity. But how? Neither of them had ever started a business before. It was then that they thought of the Bluegrass Business Development Partnership (BBDP). They had heard of the BBDP, a partnership between Commerce Lexington, LFUCG, and UK, through one of Commerce Lexington’s existing business visits. The BBDP assists businesses of all types, with just about everything. One call placed to the BBDP resulted in a meeting of the minds. Participants included representatives from Coldstream Research Campus, Commerce Lexington, Kentucky Small Business Development Center, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government and the University of Kentucky. The group laid out a road map for success. Just a short time later, with the help of some of the BBDP experts, Amy and Jennifer had their business plan complete. Next, they were able to tackle the issue of funding. Guess what? The experts at the BBDP are also well versed in funding. “They gave us a check list of everything that needed to be included in the funding binders and laid out a table of contents for us. They even helped us hole punch,” said Jennifer Morrow. It’s no doubt that all of the preparations done with the BBDP led to their successful funding through Commerce Lexington’s Access Loan Program. Amy and Jennifer already knew the ideal location. The former Equine Biodiagnostics laboratory on the University of Kentucky’s Coldstream Research Campus was already laid out perfectly. A lease was signed, all of the proper permits were granted and Equine Diagnostic Solutions was born. The high-tech, healthcare lab for horses received a little helping hand from the Bluegrass Business Development Partnership. Lexington welcomes you, again! |