WIL Research was well-known internationally in many disciplines, and considered by many industry experts to be the premier laboratory in the world for developmental and reproductive toxicology (DART).
[citation needed] The company was initially a limited mammalian toxicological testing laboratory that conducted short-term studies for several clients in the Cincinnati area.
[10] Examples of the types of projects undertaken by WIL Research included studies of drugs for the treatment of herpes, Alzheimers' disease, glaucoma, cancer, and AIDS, numerous pesticides, and replacement chemicals for ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons in fire extinguishers.
In a talk given to the local Rotary club, Holson added that WIL Research at that time served approximately 550 clients (domestic and international), most of whom regularly visited Ashland to monitor their studies.
"[12] WIL Research also actively supported Ashland University, with many of its senior scientists serving as adjunct professors in their areas of expertise, especially in the undergraduate toxicology program, which the company helped begin in 1984.
In 2004, Holson and four other senior executives (Mark D. Nemec, Dr. Christopher P. Chengelis, Dr. Daniel W. Sved, and James M. Rudar) initiated a management buyout (in partnership with private equity firm Behrman Capital) from Great Lakes Chemical Corporation which led to the formation of a holding company (WRH, Inc.).
[16] The expansion continued with the merger of Biotechnics, LLC (Hillsborough, NC, led by Dr. George Parker) with WIL Research operations in Ashland, the acquisitions of Notox Beheer BV ('s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, let by Jan van der Hoeven, Dr. Wilbert Frieling, and Dr. Ilona Enninga)[17] and QS Pharma LLC (Boothwyn, PA),[18] and the subsequent $500 million sale of WRH, Inc. to American Capital, Ltd. (NASDAQ:ACAS) in 2007.
[25][26] In addition, a new safety assessment facility in Schaijk, Netherlands (close to the existing Den Bosch site) was opened in 2015 to augment the European operations.
[2] In early 2016, Wilmington, MA-based Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL), led by James C. Foster, acquired the global holdings of WIL Research for $585 million in cash.