BOND DEDICATES MWSU SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BUILDING FACILITY WILL ENCOURAGE RESEARCH, JOB CREATION

The following information was released by Missouri Senator Kit Bond:

U.S. Senator Kit Bond today joined local business, civic and academic leaders to dedicate the Missouri Western State University (MWSU) Science and Technology Incubator. The MWSU governing board approved naming the facility the Christopher S. Kit Bond Science and Technology Incubator. 

It is a pleasure for me to be back in St. Joseph to break ground on Missouri Western's new Business Incubator. It is an honor to have my name associated with this building; thank you, said Bond.

In conjunction with local leaders, Bond worked with the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration to secure $2.5 million for the business incubator project.

Bond stressed that this project will make a real difference in the St. Joseph region. Missouri Western is a huge asset to the local community and the local workforce and their work ethic is a tremendous asset to employers. The incubator will combine these assets and look at how the institutions can work better together. This partnership will help St. Joseph and Buchanan County generate long-term economic growth.

This project will benefit our students, the local economy and set the foundation for long term job creation for the St. Joseph region, said Bond. Students come from this area and they are educated here. Through the work of this business incubator we hope to generate the kinds of jobs that will make them want to stay here after graduation.

Bond commended Missouri Western for leadership on this project. He emphasized that the strength of Missouri Western is that the school is very much a part of the community and responsive to the community. Also, Bond honored former EDA State Director, Paul Hildebrandt, for his critical role in making this project a reality. Mr. Hildebrandt, who recently passed away, was a great man who did great work, Bond said.