inovatia

A name serves as a distinctive designation for a person or entity. It sets one apart from another and may denote a record or reputation. The name Inovatia was selected for its clear relationship to the term innovation. However, the intent is to create a much deeper meaning. Inovatia strives to make its name synonymous with:

Experience
High Quality, Scientifically-Defensible Data
Unsurpassed Service
Responsiveness to Customer Need
Cost Effectiveness
Creative Solutions
Attention to Detail
Timely Results
Flexibility
Innovation

Inovatia strives to provide its clients the highest quality research, analytical and consulting services in a personalized, timely, and cost-effective manner while providing a safe, challenging, and career-oriented work environment for its employees.

In addition, the firm endeavors to develop specialized materials, processes, instrumentation, and technologies that will enable researchers and provide or enhance markets for business and industry while building value for its shareholders.

Inovatia Laboratories is one of three technology companies located in the small, rural community of Fayette, Howard County, Missouri, U.S.A. From its current location, Inovatia has successfully served business, government, and industry clients world-wide. Proximity to the research and test facilities at the University of Missouri-Columbia and access to intellectual capital found at institutions throughout the region, including Fayette's own Central Methodist University, have created a collaborative environment for innovation, creativity, technology transfer, and business development.

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In 1992, Dr. Rhys N. Thomas and Mr. J.B. Waggoner began working on their vision to create a research, testing, and consulting laboratory. Out of that vision came two specific goals. The first was to create a company that would provide analytical services to customers having specific needs in the field of chemistry. The second, but no less important, was to create a business platform that would support efforts to build and maintain a significant intellectual property portfolio. In 1994, Fayette Environmental Services, Inc., (FES) was formed and their vision became a reality.

Following start-up, FES quickly gained a reputation for providing high quality, scientifically defensible, and cost-effective data—primarily in the environmental, analytical arena. The company’s focus on the needs of the customer contributed significantly to its rapid growth. In addition, the firm became known for providing innovative and cost-effective solutions to problems of a chemical nature.

Having established the testing and consulting business platform they had envisioned, Thomas and Waggoner set out to develop an in-house R&D capability. They began by leveraging grant funding through the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program in order to move several technology concepts created by Dr. Thomas and other members of the company’s scientific staff from the lab to the marketplace. This effort resulted in several SBIR awards representing a number of technology arenas, including drug delivery, environmental monitoring, immunoassay development, neurotransmitter-tag synthesis, semiconductor reliability, and drinking water treatment. Solid grant-writing skills and an understanding of both basic and applied research, coupled with the flexibility to cross multiple industries and disciplines contributed to their success.

As FES grew in size and reputation it became clear that its name no longer presented the company as an emerging hi-tech organization. In addition, Thomas and Waggoner were interested in the continued expansion of the company’s consulting and R&D capabilities. So, in 2002, Waggoner and Thomas created Inovatia Laboratories, LLC and transitioned nearly all of FES’ activities to this new entity. While Inovatia continues to meet the testing needs of its environmental and analytical services clients it is within its mission to further establish its presence in the areas of process analysis, deformulation, method development, failure analysis, research and development (SBIR), custom analytical services, and technology development. The owners are confident that the move to this new name combined with a restructured business model has positioned Inovatia for significant future growth.