A Baton Rouge native, Charles “Charlie” D’Agostino grew up with the Louisiana Business and Technology Center. He was named the LBTC’s director in 1988, its inaugural year, and under his guidance the incubator has become one of the best in the country, winning the National Business Incubation Association’s 2005 award for incubator of the year and a 2009 innovation award. In 2011 D’Agostino received the second NBIA president’s lifetime achievement award. A self-described “baseball nut,” he likes to travel, play golf and spend time with his family. Read the full Q&A with D’Agostino from the new issue of Business Report here. Here’s a sample:
What’s the state of entrepreneurship and small business in Baton Rouge right now?
“I am an optimist and always see the glass half-full, so I am extremely excited about what is happening in Baton Rouge and with the young people who are considering starting businesses as a career option. The LBTC Student Incubator has been a total home run; we have a record number of LSU students starting businesses and creating their own jobs, and therefore not interviewing upon graduation and moving to Houston, Dallas and elsewhere.”
