St. Charles, MO -- The University of Missouri's Missouri Research Park (MRP) entered into $1.3 million in ground leases and welcomed three new corporate tenants into the MRP in the 2001 calendar year. In addition, two MRP companies underwent major expansions to their existing MRP campuses.

2001 new construction, renovation and expansion in the MRP include:

• AG Edwards Datacentre -- renovation of an existing production facility to create a 120,000 SF state-of-the-art technology center equipped with back-up data and telecommunications systems and employing approximately 60 people to support the Fortune-500 company's data-processing and online-client services.
  

  
  

• Distribution Management Inc. (DMI) -- a new 50,000 SF corporate headquarters for over 35 employees engaged in the design, development and implementation of technology solutions supporting the distribution of computer-supply products.
  

  
  

• LANCE Research, Inc. -- renovation and expansion into a 22,000 SF laboratory and headquarters facility in which more than 30 employees develop, produce and conduct assay tests to meet the needs of scientists in diabetes and obesity research.
  

  
  

• Natoli Engineering, Inc. -- construction of a new 40,000 SF building to add to Natoli's existing two buildings in the MRP. The company now has 125 employees in the MRP who develop and produce precision-tooled dies for manufacturers in the pharmaceutical, storage-battery and ceramic industries.
  

  
  

• Diagraph, Inc. -- renovation of an existing manufacturing building to serve as the corporate headquarters, research center and production facility for about 100 employees. Diagraph, a subsidiary of ITW, is a global producer of automated marking, coding and labeling systems.

Adding to the MRP overpass completed earlier this year, construction is nearing completion on an inbound on-ramp at I-40/61, the first of four ramps that will comprise a full-diamond interchange at the entrance to the MRP.

The St. Charles County high-tech corridor continues to evolve as additional technology businesses cluster in the vicinity of the MRP. Enterprise Rent-a-Car, WorldCom and MasterCard's Global Technology Division have this year completed corporate campuses within the four-mile stretch of the high-tech corridor that extends from the MRP to Winghaven.

"High-tech companies tend to have a magnetic effect on one another with technology-intensive companies clustering near each other to take advantage of a shared pool of resources and talent," said Rick Finholt, executive director of the Missouri Research Park. "Companies like MasterCard and WorldCom were attracted to the corridor after the MRP established the corridor's viability."

More than 250 acres within the MRP have been developed to date. Fifteen companies and two Federal agencies now have facilities in the MRP, including Nike IHM, Zoltek, Novus International, the National Weather Service and the FAA's St. Louis TRACON facility.

Property values within the park have quadrupled since 1991. MRP tenants now employ a combined total of 1,800 people, with a combined payroll of more than $60 million.

The Missouri Research Park now has a total of 1,100,000 square feet under roof. The MRP 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, call (636) 441-7701.