'Technology suits our area'
BYLINE: Jack Mazurak jmazurak@clarionledger.com
STARKVILLE - The Golden Triangle region has used the lure of Mississippi State University's engineering talent and a growing list of defense contractors to attract high-tech companies to the area.
A vehicle-systems technology company announced plans Tuesday to expand into Starkville, and the university unveiled a separate program to help develop aerospace companies.
"One of the things we're talking to people here about are aerospace opportunities," said Brian Dabell, chief executive officer of nCode, a maker of vehicle diagnostic and data-gathering systems.
His company, nCode, sells technology akin to the black boxes on airplanes. Its systems collect data from cars, trucks, construction equipment and military craft during vehicle development and regular use. The nCode software then sorts the data, and manufacturers use it to diagnose problems, fix weak spots and better engineer their products.
Dabell said nCode will research and test high-strength metals when it builds in the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park, located next to MSU. He wouldn't say how much the building will cost but said the construction should begin by late 2007.
Kim Richardson, vice president of property development and research at the Greater Starkville Development Partnership, said the talent pool the university provides, along with the college-town atmosphere, helps draw businesses.
"Technology suits our area because of the close proximity of the university. A lot of companies will hire recent graduates or work with the university in a partnership," she said.
The university town landed three other technology companies this year, including Harbinger Technologies Group.
Businesses in the 200-acre technology park combined employ more than 1,300. It has become home to 15 businesses since its beginning in 1984.
One of the park's biggest success stories is SemiSouth, a semiconductor maker started by two former MSU professors. The company opened in a business incubator in 2004 and now leases nearly all the space in the incubator for its 49 employees.
Dabell said he's moving nCode from civilian fleets and construction vehicles into the defense industry. The company already has a joint venture with Lockheed Martin, British Aerospace and Northrop Grumman. And locating in proximity with defense-related companies in Golden Triangle will only help, he said.
MSU will help find graduates to work for nCode. The company wants six initially, but Dabell said that's likely to expand. "We started off in the Midwest with three or four guys, and now we're up to 50." he said.
The aerospace center will mix MSU engineering students with aerospace defense companies that want to establish themselves in the area. The center will be built on 17.5 acres of donated land at the corner of U.S. 82 and Airport Road in Lowndes County, about a half-hour east of campus.
No defense companies have been identified for the center as yet but several aerospace technology companies are clustered near the airport.
Helicopter maker American Eurocopter is going through a $125 million expansion, Aurora Flight Sciences is building a facility to make two types of unmaned surveillance planes, Tally Defense Systems will open in a couple months, and GE Aviation plans a facility.
The region also is home to Columbus Air Force Base, a training site for fighter pilots, and SeverCorr, a company building a $880 million steel plant to sell coiled flat steel to automotive and other manufacturers.
The aerospace incubator center likely will be run by the university's research and economic development center, said Kirk Schulz, dean of MSU's school of engineering.
"It would provide a place where established aerospace companies that want a presence in the Golden Triangle could send a few employees. They will be able to partner with engineering students doing projects and internships," he said.
No specific building plans or prices were available Tuesday, but construction is expected to begin in 2008.
The aerospace center will likely lure not only more related companies but commercial and retail development too.
California-based architect Wayne Fishback donated the land for the center but also owns about 300 adjoining acres. Developers plan to bring in aerospace-related light industry, hotels, restaurants, big-box retailers and specialty shops.
The retail development would cater to airport users, industry needs and area workers. Plans are also in progress to four-lane Airport Road as more industry moves in.
Area businesses
Mississippi's Golden Triangle is increasingly becoming a hot spot for defense- and technology-oriented companies. The following firms are located in the region:
* American Eurocopter (Lowndes County) - Final assembly and customization of helicopters used by military and government agencies.
* Aurora Flight Sciences (Starkville) - Produces unmanned aircraft.
* Cypress Semiconductor (Starkville) - Design center for the firm that produces semiconductors for computers, clocks and image sensors.
* Global Technology Resources (Starkville) - Develops programs for corporations and governments, including national preparedness for bioterrorism.
* Spatial Information Solutions (Starkville) - Software uses satellite imagery to provide detailed mapping data.
* Clark Hartness Management Co. (Starkville) - High-speed Internet service provider.
* Harbinger Technologies Group (Starkville)- An an e-commerce software and network services company.
* Tally Defense Systems (Lowndes County) - Company builds rockets and weapons systems.
* Semi-South (Starkville) - Produces silicon carbide components that can run electrical and computer systems 10 times faster than traditional semiconductors.
* II-IV - Company builds wafers, a key component in semiconductors, for SemiSouth.