WIL Research Laboratories

WIL Research Laboratories was founded in 1976 in Cincinnati, Ohio by G. Bruce Briggs, Ralph S. Hodgdon, and Robert W. Brigham, with Briggs serving as the company's first president. The company was initially a limited mammalian toxicological testing laboratory that conducted short-term studies for several clients in the Cincinnati area. In 1978, Great Lakes Chemical Corporation acquired WIL Research Laboratories. By 1980, WIL Research outgrew its facilities in Cincinnati, subsequently acquired the 75-acre Hess & Clark research facility on the outskirts of Ashland, Ohio, and by 1982 had moved its operations to the new location. The move to Ashland enabled WIL to conduct a larger number of studies as it began to expand its client base. == Sustained organic growth ==

Dr. Joseph F. Holson was named President and Director of WIL Research Laboratories in 1988. Under his leadership over the next 20 years, WIL Research grew from 31 employees into a dynamic contract research organization employing more than 600 individuals at the Ashland site. Underpinning the continuous expansion of service capabilities was a steady expansion of the company's facilities from approximately 30,000 square feet to more than 300,000 square feet of dedicated laboratory, vivarium, and support services space. Critical to the success of WIL Research was a continuous investment in staff training, as new biologists typically underwent a 9-12 month training period and all employees regularly completed continuing education not only in their specific areas of expertise but also in the subjects of animal care and welfare, Good Laboratory Practices, and research integrity. Examples of the types of projects undertaken by WIL Research included studies of drugs for the treatment of herpes, Alzheimers' disease, glaucoma, cancer, and AIDS, numerous pesticides, and replacement chemicals for ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons in fire extinguishers. WTDMS was licensed to several other toxicology testing laboratories, and was used continuously by WIL Research Laboratories for nearly forty years prior to its gradual replacement by the Provantis system. Ashland community While WIL Research depended on the broader Ashland area for a steady supply of qualified personnel, it also contributed extensively to Ashland's economic growth, becoming one of the largest employers in the county. WIL Research also actively supported Ashland University, with many of its senior scientists serving as adjunct professors in their areas of expertise, especially in the undergraduate toxicology program, which the company helped begin in 1984. Holson also served on Ashland University's Science Advisory Board (1990-2008) and Board of Trustees (1993-1998), and gave the initial lecture, entitled "Risk and Regulation," of a year-long lecture series in support of the university's Environmental Studies program in 1995. == Mergers and acquisitions ==

After nearly two decades of sustained organic growth, Joseph Holson led WIL Research through an initial period of private capital-financed expansion. In 2004, Holson and four other senior executives (Mark D. Nemec, Dr. Christopher P. Chengelis, Dr. Daniel W. Sved, and James M. Rudar) initiated a management buyout (in partnership with private equity firm Behrman Capital) from Great Lakes Chemical Corporation which led to the formation of a holding company (WRH, Inc.). The expansion continued with the merger of Biotechnics, LLC (Hillsborough, NC, led by Dr. George Parker) with WIL Research operations in Ashland, the acquisitions of Notox Beheer BV ('s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, let by Jan van der Hoeven, Dr. Wilbert Frieling, and Dr. Ilona Enninga) and QS Pharma LLC (Boothwyn, PA), and the subsequent $500 million sale of WRH, Inc. to American Capital, Ltd. (NASDAQ:ACAS) in 2007. After the sale to ACAS, Holson served as Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of the global entity while continuing to serve as President and Director of WIL Research Laboratories in Ashland until his retirement in November 2008. Upon Holson's retirement, Nemec was appointed President and Chief operating officer of the Ashland flagship facility, and Chengelis was named Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer. Under the ownership of American Capital, David Spaight was named Chairman and CEO of the global holding company in 2010, which undertook a re-branding and global integration effort. During the ACAS-led period, growth of the company occurred primarily through additional acquisitions, including those of Midwest BioResearch, LLC (Skokie, IL, led by Dr. Michael Schlosser) and Ricerca Bioscience's pharmaceutical services facility in Lyon, France (led by Stéphane Bulle). In addition, a new safety assessment facility in Schaijk, Netherlands (close to the existing Den Bosch site) was opened in 2015 to augment the European operations. These activities combined to increase the total number of employees in the global entity to more than 1300, with total 2015 revenues of $215 million. The platform WIL Research Laboratories facility in Ashland was subsequently renamed to Charles River Laboratories Ashland, LLC. ==References==