Purdue and State Officials Dedicate Northwest Indiana Expansion that Will Create Jobs, Space for Entrepreneurs

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Officials on Tuesday (Oct. 19) dedicated a new $2.2 million addition to the Purdue Technology Center that will provide more space and opportunities to attract and retain high-technology jobs in northwest Indiana.

The 12,000-square-foot addition brings the Purdue Technology Center to 60,000 square feet. The center, which is located in the Purdue Research Park of Northwest Indiana, opened in 2005 and is home to 16 companies engaged in pharmaceutical sciences, fuel-cell technology, security technology and other fields. About 100 people work in the facility, earning an average annual wage of about $54,000. In addition, another eight companies are center affiliates.

"Since opening in 2005, the Purdue Technology Center has played a key role in diversifying our local economy, bringing new business to our region, and creating our high-tech jobs of tomorrow" said Rep. Pete Visclosky, who is the chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development. "The center's expansion, and the continued excellent work of those who help advance its research, demonstrate that northwest Indiana will continue to be at the forefront of advancing the scientific research and technology needed to address our country's most pressing challenges."

nwi-dedication.jpgA 48,000-square-foot Purdue University Calumet Academic Learning Center, which houses 28 classrooms, also is in the park.

"The Calumet Academic Learning Center and the Purdue Research Park of Northwest Indiana are important to Purdue University and the Purdue Research Foundation because they provide both educational and entrepreneurial opportunities," said Purdue President France A. Córdova. quot;The fact that there are 24 companies either in the Purdue Research Park of Northwest Indiana or affiliated with it demonstrates how successful the park has been since its development five years ago."

Federal funding for the expansion came from the FY 2008 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill. Visclosky has served in Congress for 25 years and is chairman of the Congressional Steel Caucus, the U.S. Defense Subcommittee and the U.S. Military Construction and the Veterans Affairs Subcommittee.

"Congressman Visclosky has a history of supporting the Purdue Research Park of Northwest Indiana. He secured the $6.9 million necessary for its construction on land that already was owned by the Purdue Research Foundation, and he assisted in securing the $2.2 million for its expansion," said Joseph B. Hornett, senior vice president, treasurer and COO of the Purdue Research Foundation. "The expansion was necessary. We've been at near capacity for quite a while, and this expansion will enable us to be ready to provide space for new companies in the area."

The Purdue Technology Center of Northwest Indiana was named a Certified Technology Park in 2006 by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, which allows for the local area to recapture certain state and local tax revenue that can then be invested in the park's