Leader selected for innovation organization

Terry Jones, founder and managing partner of Dean Capital, has been named executive director of a new “regional innovation organization.” Jones was recommended by the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, which has been leading the RIO project, and selected by the executive committee of the Research Park Corporation, which runs the Louisiana Technology Park and will provide funding support for the new organization. Jones will seek to foster partnerships among the region’s various assets, such as the business incubators and universities; improve access to capital for early-stage companies; and serve as an all-around “evangelist” for entrepreneurship. “We don’t have time to wait around,” he says. Several entrepreneurs with whom Jones has worked on various deals showed their support at yesterday’s Research Park board meeting, touting his work ethic, creativity and familiarity with the local landscape. BRAC will handle salary negotiations; in a report issued last year, the chamber said the expected salary would be in the $150,000 to $200,000 range. Some of his first few tasks will include creating a name, brand, website and newsletter for the organization. Jones founded Dean Capital in 1998 to provide investment banking services and advice to a variety of industries, such as information technology, health care, life sciences and manufacturing. Before that, he was a vice president and director of underwriting for Source Capital and worked for various local banks, including Premier Bank and Plaquemine Bank & Trust. —David Jacobs