The Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (WMed) Innovation Center is pleased to announce that client company Next Stage Labs has been selected as the 2022 Kalamazoo SmartZone Best Small Business of the Year Award winner at the 2022 Michigan Celebrates Small Business event. Next Stage Labs will be honored on May 3, 2022, at the gala event in East Lansing, MI (https://michigancelebrates.org/).
Next Stage Labs was founded in November 2019 by Kelly Elsworth. Next Stage Labs is an independent lab specializing in the ornamental plant industry. They contract with clients to initiate and maintain disease-free plant tissue culture for international shipping and research and development. Their unique inventory system guarantees genetic integrity, so customers can rest easy knowing their plant stock is safe in expert hands. The company proudly notes, ““We’re plant nerds, and we love what we do!”
Kelly Elsworth, owner of Next Stage Labs said, “We are so proud to be receiving this award and appreciate all the support we’ve received from the Innovation Center as our business has grown over the past several years.”
The WMed Innovation Center currently houses 25 companies and provides support services to numerous additional companies through its programs and seminars. Since the inception of the Michigan 50 to Watch program in 2005, 15 Innovation Center client companies have been honored with various awards.
“I love seeing companies like Next Stage Labs receive the recognition they deserve,” said Sandra Cochrane, assistant dean of the WMed Innovation Center. “Company founders like Kelly work so hard, every day, and rarely get a chance to celebrate their amazing achievements. Awards and recognition programs like Michigan Celebrates Small Business give us all a reason to pause and celebrate. I am proud of the role the WMed Innovation Center plays in our clients’ successes.”