Metaugus expands to Bloomington

Metaugus recently expanded to Bloomington with the formation of the Natural Product Research Institute.

The new Bloomington research institute will act as the principal research front for Metaugus. The company is a Food and Drug Administration-registered custom product development and contract manufacturing company.

The Georgia-based parent company produces products for “chemical, nutritional, flavor and fragrance industries,” such as capsules, tablets, liquids and lotions, according to its website.

“Metaugus is a manufacturer, meaning that they will make any sort of chemical nutritional product, like a vitamin, and they do that on a contract basis,” Nathan Gould, director of NPRI, said.

Its products are found in “anything you could find in a GNC,” Gould said. Such products include Satisfactrim, an appetite suppressant, and Extenergen, an energy stimulant.

NPRI will focus on “the dynamic and rapidly changing field of nutritional chemistry,” according to a press release.

Bloomington was chosen as the location primarily because of IU, Gould said.

“The proximity to IU gives us access to well-trained employees,” he said. “Also, we are able to use some of their facilities.”

Gould said he hoped the company would connect with the University through internship opportunities that will also be available to students.  

Jay Connaughton, owner and CEO of Metaugus, is an IU alumnus.

“The NPRI will allow us to bring a strong scientific arsenal to bear on the field of nutritional chemistry. We look forward to fostering a rich relationship with Bloomington, Indiana University and the local business community,” Connaughton said in a press release.

NPRI is housed in an abandoned powder-coating facility at 2116 W. Industrial Park Dr.
“It was basically large and empty, so it served as a blank slate,” Gould said.

Gould also said he hopes the new institute will grow and hire locally.

“Over the next year or two we hope to expand as the space allows,” he said.

The Bloomington Economic Development Corporation classifies Metaugus NPRI as a life sciences employer. According to the BEDC website, Bloomington’s concentration of employment in the life sciences is six times greater than the national average.

“On a basic level, Metaugus NPRI has renovated a vacant building,” Ron Walker, president of the BEDC, said in an email. “They have also hired approximately five employees, most of which are highly educated and highly skilled. The company will bring new business to this community, which will support the employees at the site as well as indirectly support work at other employers.”

Walker, who is also the president of the Bloomington Life Sciences Partnership, presented NPRI at the December BEDC meeting. This was primarily an opportunity to introduce NPRI to the Board and give BEDC members a chance to meet NPRI staff, he said.  

“Dr. Gould gave a brief presentation that described the company’s work and what they propose to do in Bloomington. They were thrilled with the information and other biotech leaders in the room chose to meet with Dr. Gould after the meeting,” he said.

Walker also said the wages paid at NPRI will upwardly influence the local area’s median wage and further strengthen the life sciences industry.

“NPRI will not be a large employer, but they are a specialized employer that provides high-level research and development services (in Bloomington),” he said. “This type of work can attract additional investment and create new opportunities with existing life sciences employers.”