Livonia Business Honored By MI-SBTDC Region 9 As Best In 2008

MICHIGAN – RTI Laboratories of Livonia has been cited by Gov. Jennifer Granholm as the Region 9 Best Small Business of the Year by the Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center.

Founded in 1996, RTI Laboratories is recognized as a leader in supplying laboratory and consulting services in the fields of chemistry and material science.

“We are very proud to receive this award,” said company founder and President Jerry Singh. “Our growth has been steady and due in no small part to the assistance from the MI-SBTDC.”

In addition to counseling and help with his business plan, Singh completed the MI-SBTDC training seminar FastTrac Growth Venture (for emerging businesses) and is a regular Peerspectives contributor; a program designed for CEO’s to speak with other CEO’s in a facilitated roundtable format.

“Jerry is a sponge, he soaks up information and recognizes there is always room to learn,” said Pat Salo, one of the MI-SBTDC counselors that assisted Singh. “He went through the growing stages: from a chemist, to become and entrepreneur, to become a president and now he is a leader.”

The clients recognized as a Best Small Business by MI-SBTDC were selected from among 12,382 companies, which were provided with confidential counseling and training. These companies were chosen not only on the basis of their success in terms of sales, employment and business strategy, but also on the economic impact and the involvement of the MI-SBTDC in providing assistance to reach their goals.

RTI was also honored as part of the Michigan Celebrates event, held April 30 at the Lansing Center, the state’s premier awards ceremony for entrepreneurs and small business leaders. RTI is a former Michigan 50 Companies to Watch and has received numerous accommodations for its work in its field. In January of 2008, RTI opened the doors to its Livonia Laboratory, bringing the total laboratory space in Livonia to 24,000 square feet.

In 2008, The U.S. Army has awarded a $1.5 million contract to RTI Laboratories Inc. to provide testing services for radioactive waste in New York and Ohio. The contract was awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo, N.Y.