J. Randolph (Randy) Harig

J. Randoph “Randy” Harig is the CEO of the Texas Research and Technology Foundation (TRTF) and VelocityTX. Prior to this position, Mr. Harig had over 40 years of experience in the medical industry. This includes direct sales to customers as well as all levels of management within health care. Randy has experience in sales and marketing and has held executive level positions in various businesses relating to the health care delivery system. He has been a serial entrepreneur from a young age and held positions such as president of a medical equipment leasing firm, president and CEO of an investment firm directed at medical properties, managing general partner of the Nix Medical Center, president and CEO of a regional manufacturer’s representative company and Chairman of the board of a contract research organization.

Mr. Harig served in the U.S. Air Force and Army Reserve for 10 years. Mr. Harig is a founding member of The Clocktower Bourbon and Cigar Club, an organization founded to further communication and goodwill between the senior military leadership and community leaders. Mr. Harig serves as the San Antonio Chamber representative to the Commander of Army South.

In December 2013, Mr. Harig retired and sold his company as president and CEO of RH Medical Inc., a marketing and distribution firm serving the U.S. and Mexico. Mr. Harig most recently served in the position of business development for OfficeSource Ltd.

Mr. Harig was appointed Chairman of Texas Research and Technology Foundation (TRTF) in December 2016. Since then he has redirected the focus of the foundation by forming VelocityTX and developing an innovation hub in downtown San Antonio focusing on bio sciences. On September 1, 2017, Mr. Harig changed position to president and CEO of TRTF to oversee its growth. Mr. Harig was then appointed to president and CEO of VelocityTX to oversee both VelocityTX and TRTF. As of March of 2018, Mr. Harig is CEO of both companies.

Mr. Harig is active in civic and church affairs and is a former member and chairman of Centro 21 (a San Antonio City Council appointed task force directed to promote downtown growth). Mr. Harig has been a board member of the Research Park foundation since 1985 and has held numerous positions within this board and is currently the CEO. Mr. Harig was in Leadership San Antonio Class of 10 and on the Steering Committee for 11. He is Chairman of the University Hospital Foundation, and on the board of the San Antonio Medical Foundation. Mr. Harig is a member of the Order of the Alamo and his daughters, Kay Kay and Jenness were Duchesses in 2006 and 2013. He is active in the Consejo organization. Randy is a member of the Chevaliers du Tastevin and travels around the world to meetings for the organization.

Randy has four children, five grandsons and a granddaughter. He is active in outdoor sports such as golf, hunting, fishing and bicycling around town. He and his wife Kay enjoy traveling around the world extensively.

For over 35 years, the Texas Research & Technology Foundation (TRTF) has been successfully promoting and developing emerging technologies and the life science industry in the San Antonio area. In that time, it has established strong relationships within and become an integral part of the innovation ecosystem.

In 2010, TRTF established the McDermott Pre-Seed Fund to provide early stage funding to small and startup ventures and the McDermott Legacy Fund to continue investing in emerging technology ventures.  To date, the Fund has invested in 31 small, growing bioscience and technology ventures, either through direct investment, or through investment in local venture capital funds.

In 2017, TRTF purchased the five-acre Merchant Ice complex which is located near Ft. Sam Houston. The Merchant Ice complex is being developed as an innovation center and includes an accelerator/incubator

TRTF’s primary purpose and objective is to establish a strategy centered around propelling economic growth in biotechnology especially focused on local start-ups and entrepreneurial development. A robust and growing life science industry is critical to San Antonio’s future economic success and is dependent on the community’s support of a thriving entrepreneurial culture and the ecosystem we invest in.

Our flagship initiative will be the development of physical space – the VelocityTX Innovation Center. Through VelocityTX, a subsidiary of TRTF, this innovation superhub will create a nexus of expertise designed to facilitate access to local resources which launch, accelerate, and incubate innovative technologies, especially those related to the life sciences and military missions. The ultimate desire is to have a world-class superhub of innovative activity as a part of an innovation district for science and technology that benefits the San Antonio community, the life science ecosystem, the military, and the network of partners.

The purposes of VelocityTX are to: (1) stimulate company research, development, and formation; (2) encourage economic development and attract companies in the high-tech, life sciences and biotech industries (3) improve and diversify the economy; (4) create high-paying and high-tech jobs; and (5) leverage life science, high-technology and biotech assets within the city of San Antonio and across the region.