Phillips Swager Associates Selected as Designer for Peoria NEXT Incubator
Posted on April 23rd, 2004
The Board of directors of Peoria NEXT is pleased to announce that the Phillips Swager Associates (PSA) consultant team has been selected to plan and design Peoria’s first business technology incubator.
PSA assembled a team of consultants from throughout the United States which collectively have been involved in the development of 30 incubators for municipalities, academia and corporations.
“We’re excited about the selection of Phillips Swager Associates and their team. This team consists of nationally known consultants who have tremendous experience and expertise in incubator operation and development. Phillips Swager Associates was selected from five outstanding firms. We are very pleased to take the next steps with PSA in the design and development of the incubator,” says Dr. Richard Lister, Managing Director, Peoria NEXT.
“We look forward to collaborating on this project with such a reputable and experienced group of consultants,” says Ray Lees, Principal, Phillips Swager Associates. “We are dedicated to designing a world class incubator which will position Peoria as a Midwestern leader in life science and technology commercialization.”
The PSA consultant team, led by CEO, Tom Seymour, includes Chuck Stein of Strategic Development Services who has developed business, operational and capital enhancement plans for a number of biomedical, biotechnology and business technology incubators. Stein also conducts best practices seminars for the National Business Incubation Association (NBIA) and is a Board Member of the Ohio State University’s Business Technology Center.
Also on the team is Bill Simon, COO of the Center for Emerging Technologies (CET) in St. Louis. Simon, who has won wide spread recognition for his work in the innovation industry, oversees the operation of CET’s 92,000 square-foot facility and its 14 companies. CET has been named by NBIA as one of the 10 best incubators in the U.S. and a top performer in revenue growth for 2003.
Other consultants include Janet Baum and Steve Hackman from Health, Education and Research Associates (HERA), who are experts in the layout and planning of research laboratories. Baum, an instructor in the Harvard University School of Public Safety teaches a course using her co-authored textbook entitled, “Guidelines for Laboratory Design, Health and Safety.”
Chris Rousseau of Newcomb & Boyd provides mechanical engineering expertise on the leading edge of system design for incubators and other types of labs such as the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia. Andy Wong and other colleagues from Einhorn Yaffee Prescott (EYP) of New York City offer their experience in the architectural build-out of research labs.
Don Brennan and Lou Ori of River City Construction will provide constructability, value engineering, and cost estimating consulting to the design team.
Additional information about Peoria NEXT is available at www.peorianext.org.
Peoria NEXT is dedicated to leadership in discovery, innovation, and commercialization. The mission of Peoria NEXT is to create a healthier future for our regional community evidenced by increased economic growth and diversity, improved physical well-being, and the resultant social stability and opportunity.
