Karla Johnson had no idea that a breakfast meeting would lead to valuable support for her small business in Alabama’s Wiregrass area.
Johnson said she received an email from the local Chamber of Commerce inviting her to a breakfast a few months ago. “I just came because I was invited,” Johnson said with a laugh. Representatives from HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Vice President for Economic Development Carter Wells, and Economic Development Associate for Wiregrass Ann Carr, also attended that Innovation Roundtable and made introductions.
They asked, “If you had one wish, what would you wish for your company?” Johnson recalled.
“They said, ‘We’re going to see what we can do to help,’ ” she said
Johnson connected with representatives from HudsonAlpha through the Pike County Chamber of Commerce and found resources that led to support and new business for her chemical manufacturing company Johnson Labs, Inc.
HudsonAlpha matched her with advisors, too, for the family-owned company.
“I have three business mentors that I get on Zoom calls with every month,” Johnson said. “They’ve never turned me down for a meeting time. I just learn from them and what they’re going through.”
HudsonAlpha’s Wiregrass location launched its Navigate Mentoring program in early 2024 with four inaugural entrepreneurs and a dozen local mentors.
Navigate is part of HudsonAlpha’s strategy to build and strengthen agriculture and technology companies in the nine-county Wiregrass region in southeast Alabama. The Navigate program is modeled after the Massachusetts Institute for Technology’s Venture Mentoring Service.
Through Navigate, HudsonAlpha supports the growth of agriculture and technology entrepreneurs with a team-based approach that helps new and established entrepreneurs sharpen business plans and refine their management skills.
Navigate recruits mentors across the Wiregrass area with expertise in starting and leading a company as well as scaling, finance, marketing, operations, human resources, and other critical subject matters for entrepreneurs. The Navigate program matches business leaders with experts for their specific needs.
Johnson said the mentors helped her review her process and expenses, as well as learn to “say what I need to say to potential clients.”
In a short time, Johnson not only increased her confidence in running the business but also grew a network of trusted advisors and leads for potential sales and expansion opportunities. She continues to work with those mentors to identify and solve problems, then focus on the next area for improvement.
HudsonAlpha’s BioTrain internship program helped her secure two summer interns. “For a small business, that support is a big deal because finding a qualified data analysis expert and lab assistant is challenging, but for eight weeks I had both,” she said.
“They each had their own special project that they had to do for their internship. I worked alongside them,” she said. “They were just great.”
Johnson Labs’ staff ranges from roughly 10 to 23 people depending on the season.
The company offers private-label manufacturing, as well as formulation of industrial cleaners and specialty products like Oxy Orange Concentrate. A major component of their business is custom scent lures, odor eliminators and synthetic wildlife urines for hunting and fishing.
The Business Council of Alabama and Alabama Technology Network named Johnson Labs the Small Manufacturer of the Year in 2023.
Through a confidential arrangement, the lab provides and labels products for a major outdoor retailer. They also ship their own patented products “all over the world.”
“For seven months a year, we fill, label, and package about 5,000 bottles a day,” she said.
Johnson’s husband Louis—a pastor and inventor—started the family-owned company in 1988 with an idea for a product they made in their kitchen. Using his chemistry degree and passion for hunting, Louis formulated and marketed a scent eliminator for deer hunters called B Scent Free.
Karla, a retired public school teacher, now runs the woman-owned business.
The advice and support from the non-profit HudsonAlpha in north Alabama and the Wiregrass region have been invaluable to this niche company.
“Everything I have done with HudsonAlpha has been well worth my time,” Johnson said.
“They have the ability to help small businesses,” she said. “I love the fact that they’re investing across Alabama.”
To learn more about the Navigate Mentoring Program in the Wiregrass, visit hudsonalpha.org/innovate/business-biotech. Entrepreneurs wanting to apply to receive mentorship from HudsonAlpha’s group of mentors should contact Ann Carr at 334-796-6792 or acarr@hudsonalpha.org. Aspiring entrepreneurs with ideas centered on agriculture or agricultural technology are encouraged to apply.
About HudsonAlpha
HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is a nonprofit institute dedicated to developing and applying scientific advances to health, agriculture, learning, and commercialization. Opened in 2008, HudsonAlpha’s vision is to leverage the synergy between discovery, education, and economic development in genomic sciences to improve the human condition around the globe.
The HudsonAlpha Biotech Campus is in Huntsville, Alabama, and consists of 152 acres nestled within Cummings Research Park, the nation’s second-largest research park. The state-of-the-art facilities co-locate nonprofit scientific researchers with entrepreneurs and educators. HudsonAlpha is a national and international leader in genetics and genomics research and biotech education and fosters more than 45 diverse biotech companies on campus.
HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology Wiregrass is a partnership with the City of Dothan to spark innovation, enhance STEM education and inspire economic growth in the region.
