Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Blacksburg's NanoSonic to move to Giles Co.
NanoSonic Inc. will move its 70 workers to a new "green" business park near Pembroke.
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NanoSonic Inc., a pioneering Blacksburg nanotechnology firm, has claimed the first site in a planned new business park in Giles County.
The company said Tuesday it intends to move 15 miles up U.S. 460 to the Wheatland EcoPark near Pembroke.
It is going to pass on a proposed nanotechnology business center that several local governments want the region to build at New River Valley Commerce Park in Dublin.
Instead, company President Richard Claus said he was drawn by a host of factors to EcoPark, a project of the Giles County Industrial Development Authority.
EcoPark is slated to occupy 130 acres of privately owned farmland just east of Pembroke. The industrial development authority expects to begin grading next month and has sold $3 million worth of bonds for initial construction expenses, including a 30,000-square-foot building to be leased to NanoSonic. Wheatland is the name of a family that has owned the land.
Claus said the chosen site offers the right mix of space, terms and circumstances. The company did not want to share a building, for instance. Nor is it important to be among other nanotechnology firms, as the proposed nanotechnology park would offer, he said. Beyond that, said Claus, who lives in Eggleston, it will offer mind-blowing mountain views.
In addition, he is pleased to see his company's expansion will support his environmentalism: All buildings are supposed to be so-called green structures. Every structure must qualify for certification under the U.S. Green Building Council program called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, county officials said.
Claus said his company will spend at least $1 million on the project.
In the county's view, the deal meets the broad objective of increasing the local job supply.
"It's a huge project for us," said Chris McKlarney, county administrator.
NanoSonic employs 70. Its new quarters should be done sometime next year.
While the existing Blacksburg office will stay open temporarily after the move, eventually all company operations will take place at the new location, officials said.
McKlarney said NanoSonic approached Giles County first and negotiations began before officials from the town of Pulaski and Pulaski County floated the concept for the nanotechnology park. McKlarney said EcoPark is not intended to compete with the nanopark, which he considers a good idea.
NanoSonic, an outgrowth of Virginia Tech's colleges of engineering and science, is a leading nanomaterials company in the Southeast and one reason that the New River Valley is a hub for the emerging industry.
A private company with product sales and research contracts, it does not disclose financial information. Claus said the company is growing slightly, both in terms of revenue and employment, and is almost out of space in its rented home on South Main Street. Claus said the move is not the result of a single client's need "but a lot of small ones."
