Business-Technology Center

Business-Technology Center

BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY CENTER TO MOVE TO OHIO STATE CAMPUS

     COLUMBUS -- The Business Technology Center will take more
fledgling science- and technology-based enterprises under its
wings when the center moves to larger facilities at The Ohio
State University in September.

     Ohio State and BTC officials are expected to sign a formal
lease agreement later this month for use of a portion of the
former Simmons mattress manufacturing facility at 1275 Kinnear
Road.  Expected move-in is in September.

     Janet G. Pichette, Ohio State's vice president for business
and administration, who is responsible for developing the
university's research park, believes the BTC will be a real asset
for the park.

     "BTC's work with start-up companies provides a dimension to
the park that we cannot give, and graduates of the BTC program
will be good candidates for other research park facilities," she
said.

     BTC, through a partnership with the City of Columbus and the
Ohio Department of Development, provides an "incubation"
environment to start-up technology-based firms, helping them to
grow to the point where the firms can fly out on their own in a
few years.

     Some of the more well-known graduates of the center include
Neoprobe, McCoy Avionics and Advanced Analytics Laboratories.

     "Having the BTC in our research park will increase Ohio
State's interaction with start-up companies and provide valuable
opportunities for students and university-developed
technologies," said E. Gordon Gee, president of Ohio State.
"This type of business-university partnership is an important
part of Ohio State's land-grant mission."

     "Much of the research that is going on at Ohio State has the
potential to contribute to the development of new business
opportunities," said Edward F. Hayes, the university's vice
president for research.  "We believe that the Business Technology
Center is one way to facilitate this process."

     "We want to foster and strengthen our relationship with
OSU," said David J. Cattey, executive director of the center.
The move, he said, will allow the Business Technology Center to
more than triple its available space to tenants to 40,000 square
feet and allow for closer interaction with university
researchers, students, other personnel and services.

     "We look forward to doing more things with OSU under the
affiliation agreement," said Paula Dunnigan, president of the
board of trustees of the Business Technology Center.

     Dunnigan, of Taratec Corp., said the board anticipates that
relocation will make it easier for businesses in the center to
hire students and expand their educational opportunities.
Students in the colleges of Business and Engineering could
especially benefit.

     "We can provide opportunities for employment in a small
business environment to expose students to real life business
problems," she says.

     In addition, engineering students could be hired and gain
knowledge in the aspects of running and managing a small
business.

     BTC also plans to conduct seminars and programs of interest
to the central Ohio business community.

     The Business Technology Center will lease 26,580 square feet
at the front of the former Simmons complex, which Ohio State
purchased in 1992.  The 15-year lease contains provisions for
three five-year renewals and an option to lease an additional
25,200 square feet.

     The Business Technology Center was created in 1984 and is
part of Ohio's Thomas Edison Program sponsored by the Department
of Development.  The center purchased the former Orton Memorial
Laboratory, 1445 Summit St. and has operated there ever since.

     Tenants lease space at below-market rates and are provided
with a number of shared services such as: receptionist and
answering service, conference room, microcomputer systems,
library, office furniture and equipment, and a lunch room.  The
firms also have access to the services of accounting, law and
marketing firms.

     "We provide these young companies with the shared resources
they need to get going," says Dunnigan.  "We help them to channel
as much of their capital into product development as possible."

     Dunnigan said that services at the new site will include
expanded desk-top publishing and design and probably bookkeeping.

     Current tenants are:

     ~ The Attia Applied Sciences Inc.
     ~ Chartwell Technologies Inc.
     ~ Computerized Industrial Measurements Inc.
     ~ Computerized Technologies Group Inc.
     ~ DP Project Masters
     ~ Environmental Energy Inc.
     ~ Intercontinental Software Solutions Inc.
     ~ Laboratory Solutions
     ~ North American Corrosion Consultants Inc.
     ~ Technical Management Advisors
     ~ Michael D Ulery/CPA
     ~ WCL Agency Services

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Contacts:  David J. Cattey, 614-294-0206, Paula C. Dunnigan, 614-
291-2229, Richard S. Stoddard, BTC board member and special
assistant to the vice president for research at Ohio State, 614-
292-1582.

Written by Tom Spring.


[Submitted by: GERSTNER  (gerstner@ccgate.ucomm.ohio-state.edu)
               
Tue, 13 Jul 93 10:49:08 EST]
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