Reveling in the high tech, the complex and the innovative, Byron Clayton is no ordinary problem solver. As the president and CEO of the Research Park Corp., Clayton is using his past career experience integrating technology into new processes, managing cross-functional teams and working with different, sometimes adversarial organizations on joint efforts to help connect the dots for Louisiana’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
As Business Report details in its new Executive Spotlight feature, Clayton has witnessed how regions across the country are building high-performing entrepreneurial ecosystems to better compete for jobs, investors and talent, and he says Louisiana must “follow suit or risk falling behind in the ever-intensifying competition to drive regional economic growth.”
In order to connect the state’s entrepreneurial resources, Clayton is leading an effort to rebrand the RPC as NexusLA—pronounced Nexus Louisiana. “Over time, NexusLA will become a nationally recognized model and resource for accelerating the success of entrepreneurial ecosystems in small to midsize regions,” Clayton says.
Clayton has found that one trait is essential to foster innovation: resilience. “Successful innovators learn from adversity, bounce back from failure and find ways to achieve their goals,” he says.
What does Clayton’s idea of success look like? A squiggly line he keeps posted on his bulletin board.
“The road to success is never a straight line,” he explains.
Completing his doctorate degree while running a company during the Great Recession is the biggest professional obstacle Clayton has overcome during his career. Perhaps one of the only things he has yet to conquer is golf.
“It’s the only sport that I consistently get worse at,” Clayton says.
For Clayton, time well spent includes meditating as a way to unwind, starting the day with a P90X3 workout or finding free time to learn about anything that can’t be explained or fully understood.
Read the full Executive Spotlight Q&A with Clayton. Send your comments to editors@businessreport.com.
