Jon C. Lemelin has been chosen as the new
director of the U-Start business incubator associated with Union College. Lemelin was appointed by the U-Start Board of Directors following a
recent request by incubator Co-directors Ted Haller and Pete McElligott to
reduce their responsibilities at U-Start.
Haller and McElligott, retired General Electric
Co. scientists, will continue to work at the incubator at a company they
co-founded, H&M Technology Acquisition.
“With Jon's leadership, we hope to continue the
growth of the incubator and ultimately the growth of technology business in Schenectady County,” said Walt Robb, a
U-Start board member and retired senior vice president at G.E. “His experience
in technology business development and higher education will build on the
successes already achieved at U-Start.”
Lemelin formerly worked for 13 years with Deloitte
Consulting at several state capital cities in the U.S. In 1999, he became a
partner in the Wilton, Conn.-based company. Under his leadership, Deloitte
launched a successful technology consulting business for state motor vehicle
offices and opened a New York state public sector
business development office. Lemelin was in charge of development, marketing
and sales for these projects.
Most recently, Lemelin founded JCL Consulting, a
management consulting organization focused on assisting clients in the strategic
use of technology. He is also an adjunct professor at the Graduate College of
Union University and the Lally School of Management
and Technology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Lemelin holds an MBA degree
in finance from the Anderson School of Management at the University of California at Los Angeles and a bachelor's degree
in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of Connecticut.
Among his goals at U-Start will be to oversee
contracts for the incubator's tenants and to market the incubator and its
businesses to the larger community. U-Start began operating in July 1999 at 4
Nott Terrace, Schenectady. In September, the
incubator opened its second building at 2 Nott Terrace, adjacent to the first.
Total occupancy was doubled from six companies to 12 with the expansion.
Currently, seven businesses are working out of the incubator. In addition, the
incubator houses an office for Union College's E-Club for student
entrepreneurs.
Since its inception, U-Start has had three
companies “graduate” out of the incubator to their own business space. They
are: Treetop Solutions, Inc., Synetics, and Artela Inc. (formerly Hotwire).
Lemelin's appointment was
effective November 24. He lives in Niskayuna with his wife and two children.