Yemisi Anderson, a client of SIU's Illinois Small Business Development Center, prepares original seasoning blends for her company, The JAY Effect, in a kitchen at Dunn-Richmond Economic Development Center. (Photo by Russell Bailey)
August 08, 2025
New $1.6M SouthernTECH High-Tech Food Incubator will foster growth of businesses
CARBONDALE, Ill. — The region’s entrepreneurs will soon have a new, state-of-the-art high-tech food processing and manufacturing incubator at Southern Illinois University Carbondale designed to help them expand and flourish – the only one of its kind within several hundred miles.
Funded by a nearly $1.6 million grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the SouthernTECH High-Tech Food Incubator will feature a high-tech, energy-efficient, kitchen of the future. Officials say the incubator will offer shared space for six semi-permanent tenants to support the growth of small business food manufacturing, and officials anticipate they will rent space for anywhere from a few months to a few years. Other businesses will have access to the facilities, equipment and supportive services as needed.
The new facility will provide a “cost-effective, accessible and professionally equipped space that will enable small food producers to scale operations, meet food safety standards and reach broader markets,” said Ken Stoner, director of incubator operations and workforce initiatives through SIU’s Office of Innovation and Economic Development.
Helping producers overcome challenges
“Currently, small enterprises can operate food businesses under cottage food laws that allow them to rent space, prepare items and take them to events to sell, but the logistics limit the growth potential,” said Melissa Ray Roach, director of business incubator programs who has experience in hospitality, business operations and entrepreneurship.
The new incubator will allow them to legally and safely reach larger markets, and that is exciting for future prospective tenants, including Yemisi Anderson, who in 2021 with husband, James, created The JAY Effect, a business producing high-quality natural seasoning blends.
“As a small, product-based business, having access to sufficient space and equipment is essential to growth,” Anderson said. “With our current facility nearing capacity, the announcement of this new center brings real hope for businesses like mine. Commercial kitchen space is limited in our region, and many companies could benefit from a dedicated space to create, test and scale their products. I’m excited to see how many local businesses will thrive because of this opportunity.”
Area food entrepreneurs like Anderson, especially those involved in wholesale manufacturing, meal prep and baking, face a variety of challenges such as limited access to licensed kitchens, inadequate storage and high startup costs, officials said.
A market research study conducted by the Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at SIU as well as subsequent research, found a need for a next-generation, shared-use commercial kitchen and food processing facility in Southern Illinois, Stoner said. Some of the most common needs reported are for dry storage, bottling equipment, packaging support and flexible scheduling along with business advising and shared retail opportunities.
Phase one of the project includes construction of a fully compliant, flexible production space in the Gower Translational Research Center at 1785 University Press Drive. It will accommodate the needs of a wide variety of food-based enterprises. In the future, clients will be able to engage in high-tech food manufacturing operations there, and plans call for installation of equipment for bottling, packaging, sanitation and temperature-controlled storage. Lynn Andersen Lindberg, executive director of the Southern Illinois Research Park and SouthernTECH project manager, said the incubator will provide complementary services to, rather than compete with, existing co-packers who package products for food entrepreneurs.
The facility is geared toward small businesses, offering them not only the facilities they need for their innovative product manufacturing but also help in obtaining certifications, access to funding, and the support of the Office of Innovation and Economic Development staff and various programs.
Part of a larger, ongoing effort
SouthernTECH will occupy about 2,500 square feet of the 56,000 square-foot Gower facility , named after Bob and Beth Gower, who donated $2.5 million to advance and support translational research activities across campus.
SouthernTECH will be at the south end of the building and is an important piece of SIU’s expanding business innovation ecosystem, officials said.
Gary Kinsel, professor of analytical chemistry, said the BioLaunch labs will be available to provide support for SouthernTECH users by providing product testing and development, including testing for microbial contamination. Kinsel said BioLaunch will also support various aspects of the SouthernTECH operation such as through assessment of cleaning procedures to address any cross-contamination concerns between various products made there.
“It all fits together,” said Lindberg. “Everyone affiliated with this project and the other components at Gower brings something different to the table. We are all working to provide support to local businesses and industries while also translating research into the marketplace. We’ve invested in the project by combining staff and vendor expertise with client-expressed needs.”
Stoner, who has experience teaching educators and entrepreneurs to use technology, said the support will include assisting clients with all aspects of entrepreneurship, from protecting the name and intellectual property to completing paperwork and more.
In addition, entrepreneurs will benefit from the services of Vanessa Sneed, director of business innovation and research, who has experience in event planning, logistics and agriculture as well as an extensive network of providers and suppliers. SouthernTECH also provides another significant benefit for the region, Sneed said. “It will give us commercial space to do business training in a real-world setting,” she said. “We can take our training from classroom to experiential.”
Opening soon
While the timeline for opening the new facility isn’t finalized as yet, Lindberg said, officials are hopeful it will open in the next 18-24 months. Professionals may be able to offer training onsite even sooner.
SIU is one of four statewide entities to receive Innovation and Economic Development grants, a total of about $7 million, through the Tech Incubator Enhancement Grant (TIEG) Program.
For more information about SouthernTECH High-Tech Food Incubator or the Office of Innovation and Economic Development, its many programs and services, visit the website, call 618-536-4451 or email lindberg@siu.edu.