'Bones' of polymer-based park coming together

As the first building emerges at the Innovation and Commercialization Park in North Hattiesburg, officials at the University of Southern Mississippi anticipate chain reactions.

"We have good research and an entrepreneurial atmosphere. The challenge we have faced is finding a place for both," said Les Goff, president and CEO of Noetic Technologies, the commercial and marketing company of Southern Miss that gets research and technology into the marketplace.

"The Innovation and Commercialization Park is that piece of the puzzle," he said.

"I'm not that familiar with another park that is polymer science-based. That might be a good niche," said Eileen Walker, executive director of Association of University Research Parks, based in Tucson, Ariz.

Red beams form the new skeleton of the park's magnet at the northwest corner of Lake Sehoy. Eventually, this will be the National Formulation Science Laboratory. The 60,000-square-foot structure will be a base for aspiring polymer science entrepreneurs to take a product from laboratory-level production to mass market scale. This first building at the park should be completed by August 2009.

"I'm quite anxious to nail down some loose ends this month with infrastructure," said Cecil Burge, vice president of research and economic development at Southern Miss.

{}Attracting businesses

As soon as the new roads and underground utility lines are laid, Burge can focus on bringing businesses to the park. It's a process that's being refined.

"A company is visiting in February that is very interested," Burge said. He wouldn't identify the company but said it was a tech-based industry interested in the research component the park will offer.

The 521 acres is owned by the Mississippi Institutions for Higher Learning and is controlled by Southern Miss. The Area Development Partnership plays a role, too.

"The ADP works in conjunction with the university to bring appropriate, innovation-based prospects to the area," said Ben Teague, vice president for economic development at the ADP.

The park is envisioned as an amalgamation of academic research and commercial business ventures. It will have special appeal for companies in transition, Burge said.

"When Hybrid Plastics came, we had to put them on campus. The CEO told me that we need a place for companies to land," Burge said.

Teague expects the park to enhance the economic development of the Pine Belt.

"It represents a new class of development," Teague said. "We're still going strong with industrial developments, don't get me wrong. But we are heading to high-tech jobs."

{}Jobs a plus

And research parks offer a way to get there. According to the Association of University Research Parks, every job in a research park generates an average of 2.57 jobs in the economy, resulting in a total employment impact of more than 750,000 jobs.

"What they really are is a way for universities, businesses and government to work together to create synergy and productivity and also create knowledge," said Walker.

"The bottom line is they exist to create innovation, commercialization and economic competitiveness," she said. "In one word, that's jobs. It's holistic. It's way of creating community."

The master plan identifies about 16 different sites near Lake Sehoy where buildings could be built with adequate parking and plenty of buffers and green space to retain the park setting.

"One of the attractive aesthetics are those longleaf pine trees," Burge said.

{}How it may grow

The park may include a town center by Lake Sehoy with a restaurant and retail center that would be open to the public. Some areas of the park could be more controlled if sensitive research or classified work is being done. It sounds like a contradiction, but there is a lot of room and time left to decide what will be in the park.

"This is a multi-year build out," Burge said. It may be 10 to 20 years before the park is completed.

"We've had over 50 companies talk to us since Hurricane Katrina," Burge said. "We're at the point now we can seriously entertain them."

"We're taking ideas and creating opportunities for our graduates," said Goff. "If we don't do that, it's just a brain drain."

{}Background

*Plans and funding for park started in 2002. Master plan was completed in 2004.

*$32 million in funds came from several sources, including $20 million earmark from U.S. Department of Commerce and $2 million from the state from building bonds.

*Other sources include Small Business Administration, Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

*City of Hattiesburg donated $1 million for road construction. Mississippi Power contributed $150,000 for underground utilities.

*Park is in Hattiesburg about 1.5 miles west of the U.S. 49 and Interstate 59 interchange.

*Site once included Van Hook Golf Course, Lake Sehoy recreational area and Southern Miss Equestrian Center.