Maggard to Focus on UB Incubator, Services for Business Start-Ups

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- W.W. "Woody" Maggard, president of Reichenbach Technologies, has been appointed associate director for the University at Buffalo Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach (STOR).

Maggard's responsibilities will include conducting an incubator/research park feasibility study for the university, and developing a program of services to assist business start-ups that are part of the UB Technology Incubator program.

Maggard comes to UB with a distinguished career in developing and operating world-class, university-related research parks and technology incubators, including Delaware Technology Park in Newark, Arizona Technology Incubator in Scottsdale and Central Florida Research Park in Orlando, among others. As an entrepreneur, he has co-founded and managed several business ventures, including NETeXc Information Services, Inc., LearnDaily.com and Southern Global Companies.

"Woody's experience is key to our plans to facilitate economic development in Buffalo," said UB Provost Elizabeth D. Capaldi. "UB needs to evaluate how we can make our current incubator succeed and determine what needs there are for additional incubators or research parks in Buffalo. Woody will lead these efforts for UB in addition to aiding our technology transfer operation in general."

Robert J. Genco, D.D.S., Ph.D., UB vice provost and director of STOR, added: "Woody has experience not only in developing and managing successful incubators, but also in technology transfer, entrepreneurship and venture capital.

"His wealth of knowledge in these fields will strengthen the current services STOR provides as it commercializes discoveries coming out of the research endeavors of UB and its affiliated institutions."

Genco noted that Maggard has "been successful in securing funding and providing strategic development for entrepreneurial bio and technology start-up companies as part of the number of research parks he has managed. Together with economic development agencies, state and local government, and the investment community, Woody will work on establishing clusters of start-up businesses based on UB- developed technologies."

In addition, to his considerable experience assisting small bio and technology companies, Maggard has been involved deeply in the venture capital community. While at Delaware Technology Park, he co-founded and directed Delaware Innovation Fund, a $15 million private venture fund focused on high technology businesses, and also co-founded the National Association of Seed and Venture Funds, a national private-public association serving pre-seed, early seed and seed stage companies.

"I was particularly impressed with Woody's experience in the formation of seed capital for high technology start-ups," said Angelo M. Fatta, Ph.D., president of BuffLink. "I believe that Woody will be able to 'hit the ground running.' He has a firm understanding of the university-community interface."

Fatta noted that Maggard will be a strong asset in helping to advance the Buffalo Niagara Life Sciences Initiative coordinated by BuffLink.

Maggard is a current or past member of professional organizations including the Licensing Executives Society; Association of University Technology Managers; Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering; Association of University Related Research Parks, of which he is a former board member; National Business Incubation Association; American Economic Development Council, and Manufacturing Extension Partnership.

He has taught several courses on business management, research-park development and property management, and is a frequent contributor to articles in books and journals. Maggard earned a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University and an M.P.A. from the Consortium of the California State Universities and Colleges.