By Rachel Brown, Special Correspondent
Linco Diagnostic Services Inc., has finished building its new 52,000-square-foot headquarters in the Missouri Research Park in Weldon Spring. The new facility houses 35 employees and features two large working laboratories, measuring 1,500 square feet and 3,500 square feet.
Linco Diagnostic Services Inc. just completed its new 52,000-square-foot headquarters on six acres within the Missouri Research Park, a 130-acre technology park that is the easternmost anchor of the Interstate 40/61 high-tech corridor and is owned and managed by the University of Missouri System.
Linco Diagnostic, which provides laboratory analysis for diabetes, obesity and other conditions for biotechnology clients, is sister company to Linco Research Inc., one of the first tenants of the Missouri Research Park.
Linco Research was founded by Ronald L. Gingerich, Ph.D., in 1978 and made a name for itself by developing and producing antibodies for analytical analysis by researchers in the fields of diabetes and obesity. It has also expanded rapidly and now occupies two of its own buildings in the park, totaling more than 28,000 square feet. Linco Diagnostic, also started by Gingerich, began as a customer service department, offering clients in-house testing of Linco Research’s immunoassay kits. Linco Diagnostic became a separate corporation in January 2002.
“The diagnostics unit was part of Linco Research for many years,” said Rick Ryan, president of Linco Diagnostic. “It was an in-house testing service for companies or individuals who wanted us to do the assays for them.”
Although Linco Diagnostic became its own entity nearly three years ago, it has thus far operated out of less than 10,000 square feet within one of Linco Research’s facilities.
Construction of Linco Diagnostic’s new, state-of-the-art bioanalytical and administrative facility began in the winter of 2003. The now three Linco buildings were built within close proximity to each other, essentially forming a triangle.
The new facility houses 35 employees and features two large working laboratories, measuring 1,500 square feet and 3,500 square feet. There are three additional smaller, individualized working labs. The facility will also house Linco Research’s research and development team.
The facility has video conferencing ability and features an exercise facility for employees and a general purpose meeting and lunchroom that can seat 100 people. Also, a high-tech security system was built into the facility. Company executives declined to release the construction costs of the project.
“We have to have everything secure,” said David Snellenberger, facilities manager. “We have a proximity card system so people can move about and don’t need keys.”
ARCO Construction Co. Inc. of St. Louis served as the project’s general contractor, and ACI Bolland of St. Louis was the architect. The building has a look and feel that is unique from Linco’s other buildings.
“Since Linco Diagnostics is moving in the direction of providing services to biotech companies, we wanted to provide an infrastructure with some presence that suggests that the company is not only high-tech in a high-tech park but also looks and has the feel of high-tech,” said Gingrich, chief executive officer of Linco Research.
ACI Bolland Interior designer Rick Barcheck said his company accomplished a high-tech look by taking the exterior design of the building and using those as elements inside the lobby. “We are pleased with just how the fabric of the exterior of the building carried on to the inside,” he said.
The exterior of the building is a combination of concrete, tilt panels and glass curtain walls. A special concrete coating was added to the outside surfaces to give it a pre-cast look. The open, two-story lobby is the adjoining space between the two wings of the building and the focal point of the facility. It features large tilt-up panels, high ceilings and French windows.
Though the new building is more than five times larger than their previous space, Linco Diagnostics is already planning for future expansion.
“Our capacity right now is such that it will probably accommodate the next 12 to 18 months, maybe two years,” said Ryan. “If we continue on the same path we will have to put another building up, and we have the capacity to do that.”
In addition to 12,000 square feet of undeveloped space within the building, Ryan says the company has access to adjoining land that can accommodate an additional 40,000-square-foot building.
Considering the high growth research areas that Linco Diagnostic and Linco Research are focused on – obesity, cardiovascular disease and arthritis – continued growth is likely. Ryan said the company is on track to release several new products in the next year or two, which will further its expansion growth.
“If you look at the macro trend, you’d say we are in a pretty good sweet spot,” he said.
