News Releases for October 2005
October 12, 2005
For further information, please Contact the Governor's Office
Hoeven: Center For Technology Enterprise Groundbreaking Big Step Forward For NDSU Tech Park
BISMARCK, N.D. - Gov. John Hoeven, officials from North Dakota State University (NDSU) and the state congressional delegation today broke ground on the Center for Technology Enterprise at the NDSU Research and Technology Park. The $5.4 million Phase I project will house businesses doing research and development, offering students an opportunity to participate in cutting-edge research and providing higher paying jobs for the community.
"This expansion of the Research and Technology Park will open exciting new opportunities for NDSU, the city of Fargo and the entire region," Hoeven said. "The Center for Technology Enterprise is a great example of how our Centers of Excellence will link students to not only jobs, but careers right here in North Dakota. I want to thank President Joe Chapman, Vice President for Research Phil Boudjouk and Technology Park Director Tony Grindberg for all of their great work to make this outstanding technology incubator a reality."
The first $1.25 million in funding for the project came from Hoeven's Centers of Excellence initiative, which was funded during the 2003 legislative session. Hoeven helped to secure a $1.75 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the largest grant that the agency has ever awarded in the state of North Dakota. Centers of Excellence Commission Chairman Mark Nisbet led the effort to secure private sector funding for the incubator project.
Last week Bobcat Company announced plans to become an anchor tenant in the new facility. The company will use 15,000 square feet of floor space at the facility to accommodate about 50 Bobcat engineers, a working technology lab, and an indoor testing area. The site could eventually become the company's primary research and development operation for Bobcat, working with all the company's global manufacturing plants. Other companies already committed to working in the incubator include Pedigree Technologies, Appareo Systems and Feed Management Systems.
E-mail comments to the Governor
