UNIQUE NEW TECHNOLOGY PARK AT FORT LEONARD WOOD DEDICATES OFFICE BUILIDING

First in the Nation on an Active Military Post

On Thursday May 16, 2002, the University of Missouri and the Missouri Department of Economic Development with the backing of Fort Leonard Wood will officially dedicate the first office building at the University of Missouri Technology Park at Fort Leonard Wood, the first technology park in the nation to be located on an active Army post. The $2 million building is jointly financed by the University of Missouri System and the Department of Economic Development through its subsidiary, the Missouri Technology Corporation.

The new office building will help solve the long-standing issue of where to station contractors and suppliers who serve the military. Historically, military contractors have set up offices and cubicles in backrooms of military buildings already stretched for space. The 62-acre business park will provide office space and other facilities for Army contractors and suppliers, as well as other federal, state and local government agencies.

Just as notable as the technology park concept is the way the planners are structuring space in the new office building. Rather than leasing separate office suites, they have created a shared office environment. Although the concept of shared office space or executive suites has been around since the 1960s, it has found a new niche on this Army post.

“This building will set an example for other military bases,” said Angela Lieb of OffiStart Business Centers, who worked as a consultant on the project. “There have been incubators near military bases, but this is actually a high level, professional office environment that also is shared space.”

Businesses will lease their own individual offices but share 6,000 square feet of space and services, including a receptionist area, conference rooms, cafe and advanced office equipment such as the copiers and fax machines. A T-1 line will provide high speed data links for all tenants.

“Although a company might be taking just a 200 square foot office, they’re actually getting a tremendous amount of shared space,” said Lieb.

A small administrative staff will answer calls and provide services to all the businesses within the office center. Phone and high speed internet access are set up individually to meet each company’s specific needs and requirements. Private offices, team rooms and large training rooms are available options, and all office spaces come fully furnished.

Contractors and suppliers who work with the military may have long-term contracts and need an ongoing presence, or simply need to stop in once a month. A shared office tailors resources to meet all of these circumstances with relative ease, with leases as short as three months. In addition, businesses that want nothing more than a mailing address and somewhere to plug in their laptop when making a sales call to the post can arrange for “virtual office space,” taking advantage of the amenities without actually leasing an office.

Given the events of September 11th, the need for space to accommodate military contractors at Fort Leonard Wood is expected to grow. Fort Leonard Wood is the Army’s primary training facility for humanitarian demining, homeland security and counter-terrorism. Despite being an Army installation, the base conducts training for all branches of the U.S. military and even military personnel from other countries.

“I think the technology park was a great idea a year ago, and now it’s a really great idea,” said Lieb. “This building will provide a home base and security for these companies.”

Under contract to the University’s Office of Economic Development and Research Parks, the Missouri Enterprise Business Assistance Center conducted a market research study that illustrated the need for office space in the region. Millions of dollars in federal contracts flow through the post each year. And the military must provide contractors with the access they needed to do their jobs.

“They knew they needed to provide the space. How to do it was the next question,” said Lieb. “Most companies aren’t going to be moving their home offices to St. Robert, Missouri, but this does offer them the ability to have a private, closed office, someone to answer their phones, get their mail, all of those tools at their finger tips. It’s very exciting.”

The University of Missouri Technology Park at Fort Leonard Wood will be managed by Rick Finholt, executive director of the office of Economic Development and Research Parks, who also manages the University’s Missouri Research Park located in St. Charles County, Missouri.

The Missouri Research Park is the first business park in the St. Louis region to market exclusively to technology-intensive and research-based companies, and now has a total of 1,100,000 square feet under roof. The Missouri Research Park is a project of the University of Missouri Office of Economic Development and Research Parks, whose mission is to support Missouri’s economic growth by developing and sustaining research and technology alliances among the University, government agencies and private companies. For more information on either the Technology Park at Fort Leonard Wood or the Missouri Research Park, call (636) 441-7701 or visit the MRP web site at www.um-mrp.org.