Rowan opens first building of South Jersey Technology Park
Rowan opens first building of South Jersey Technology Park
September 17, 2008
Rowan University will hold a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony for the South Jersey Technology Park (SJTP) at Rowan University on Monday, October 27, at 10:30 a.m. at the site, on Rt. 322 near the Rt. 55 interchange in Mantua Township.
The event will mark the grand opening of the Samuel H. Jones Innovation Center, the first structure of the proposed 25-building, 1.5-million-square-foot SJTP located about a mile from Rowan's Glassboro campus.
"While the Samuel H. Jones Innovation Center means a great deal to our researchers, it means even more to South Jersey and the region," said Dr. Donald Farish, president of Rowan University. "Our goal is for the South Jersey Technology Park to become a home for today's innovators and entrepreneurs and tomorrow's business leaders. Our hope is the businesses that will one day populate this technology park will provide exceptional employment opportunities to enable us to build our economy. This grand opening marks the first big step to fulfilling that vision."
A mixed-use facility that will accommodate academic research and development programs and provide the resources necessary to incubate emerging technology enterprises, the Samuel H. Jones Innovation Center comprises two floors totaling 45,000 square feet and includes a mix of laboratories and laboratory/office space for private organizations and for the University's College of Engineering sponsored research. In addition, the building is the home of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Rohrer College of Business Incubator operated by the Rohrer College of Business at Rowan University.
Overall, SJTP will provide competitively priced, class "A" facilities for start-up and established companies that bring innovative technologies to the marketplace and serve as a home for researchers, inventors, entrepreneurs, professors and students. SJTP's master plan provides for a 200-acre mixed research and academic technology park campus that is an integral part of the proposed 580-acre Rowan University West Campus straddling Glassboro and Mantua and Harrison townships.
Tenants at SJTP will have access to the research, development and commercialization expertise of Rowan University's engineering, science and business faculty, among others.
"We've been working hard to ensure businesses will succeed here by providing them needed services and expertise - the ‘Rowan Connection,' as we call it - that will entice them to become a part of the South Jersey Tech Park," said Thomas Drury, SJTP's CEO. "We expect we will eventually see many companies spin off from this endeavor, and that's an exciting prospect."
SJTP is a public/private partnership that has received support from numerous organizations and individuals, including the New Jersey Economic Development Authority ($5.8 million), the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology ($1.5 million), South Jersey businessman Samuel H. Jones ($1 million), the Rowan University Foundation ($1 million), the U.S. Small Business Administration ($500,000) and the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs ($150,000).
Rowan expects close to 500 people at the dedication ceremony, including speakers from state and local government, business and the University.
The event is open to the public. For more information on the dedication ceremony, contact Michele Epifani, SJTP business manager, at (856) 256-4099. For more information on SJTP, visit http://www.sjtechpark.com.
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The event will mark the grand opening of the Samuel H. Jones Innovation Center, the first structure of the proposed 25-building, 1.5-million-square-foot SJTP located about a mile from Rowan's Glassboro campus.
"While the Samuel H. Jones Innovation Center means a great deal to our researchers, it means even more to South Jersey and the region," said Dr. Donald Farish, president of Rowan University. "Our goal is for the South Jersey Technology Park to become a home for today's innovators and entrepreneurs and tomorrow's business leaders. Our hope is the businesses that will one day populate this technology park will provide exceptional employment opportunities to enable us to build our economy. This grand opening marks the first big step to fulfilling that vision."
A mixed-use facility that will accommodate academic research and development programs and provide the resources necessary to incubate emerging technology enterprises, the Samuel H. Jones Innovation Center comprises two floors totaling 45,000 square feet and includes a mix of laboratories and laboratory/office space for private organizations and for the University's College of Engineering sponsored research. In addition, the building is the home of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Rohrer College of Business Incubator operated by the Rohrer College of Business at Rowan University.
Overall, SJTP will provide competitively priced, class "A" facilities for start-up and established companies that bring innovative technologies to the marketplace and serve as a home for researchers, inventors, entrepreneurs, professors and students. SJTP's master plan provides for a 200-acre mixed research and academic technology park campus that is an integral part of the proposed 580-acre Rowan University West Campus straddling Glassboro and Mantua and Harrison townships.
Tenants at SJTP will have access to the research, development and commercialization expertise of Rowan University's engineering, science and business faculty, among others.
"We've been working hard to ensure businesses will succeed here by providing them needed services and expertise - the ‘Rowan Connection,' as we call it - that will entice them to become a part of the South Jersey Tech Park," said Thomas Drury, SJTP's CEO. "We expect we will eventually see many companies spin off from this endeavor, and that's an exciting prospect."
SJTP is a public/private partnership that has received support from numerous organizations and individuals, including the New Jersey Economic Development Authority ($5.8 million), the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology ($1.5 million), South Jersey businessman Samuel H. Jones ($1 million), the Rowan University Foundation ($1 million), the U.S. Small Business Administration ($500,000) and the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs ($150,000).
Rowan expects close to 500 people at the dedication ceremony, including speakers from state and local government, business and the University.
The event is open to the public. For more information on the dedication ceremony, contact Michele Epifani, SJTP business manager, at (856) 256-4099. For more information on SJTP, visit http://www.sjtechpark.com.
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