Southwest Research Institute, Texas

The Southwest Research Institute is one of the largest independent technology R&D centers in the country. Its San Antonio campus is a diversified R&D complex, with more than a hundred buildings, where more than 2,500 people are involved in a wide range of technical programs, supported by industry and government, from space travel to nuclear waste research. It was founded by Tom Slick, in 1947, an oil tycoon and bon-vivant who was friends with Howard Hughes, and searched for the Loch Ness Monster, amongst many other interesting activities.