Contact: Maridith Geuder
Officials of Mississippi State and Oktibbeha County will joined with U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran Thursday [Oct. 16] to break ground for a new multi-tenant building in the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park.
The 1:30 p.m. public program will include comments by Cochran, Mississippi's senior senator; Kirk Schulz, the university's vice president for research and economic development; and Jack Wallace, chairman of the Oktibbeha County Economic Development Authority.
The 42,000-square-foot, $8 million building will be built and owned by the MSU Research and Technology Corp. OCEDA and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, a part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, are partners in the project.
Shafer and Associates of Starkville are architects for the facility. Construction in the research complex located just north of campus off Highway 182 is expected to begin in March. Completion is anticipated in nine-12 months. [Ed. note: After entering the park off Highway 182, turn right at the stop sign and look for the groundbreaking site immediately to the right.]
The new facility will join the original multi-tenant building that became the park's first occupant in the late 1980s. Today, the 272-acre park is home to seven buildings and some 1,500 employees. Among current residents are the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems, Cypress Semiconductor, High Performance Computing Collaboratory, II-VI Inc., SemiSouth Laboratories, Social Science Research Center, and Tennessee Valley Authority.
For more information on the ceremony, telephone Marc McGee at 662-325-7404. Additional information on the research park may be viewed at www.cochranresearchpark.com.