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Flagship Enterprise Center Hosts Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Building Dedication for New Facilities

The Flagship Enterprise Center (FEC) will host a ribbon cutting ceremony and building dedication on Tuesday, October 19 at 2 p.m. to commemorate the completion of two new facilities, the Accelerator Building and the Lab Addition.

Speakers at the ceremony will include U.S. Senator Richard Lugar, Economic Development Administration (EDA) Regional Director Robert Sawyer, Anderson Mayor Kris Ockomon, and President of Anderson University Dr. James Edwards. The event is open to the community and will be held at 3619 W. 73rd Street.

The new Accelerator Building and Lab Addition are the fourth and fifth buildings added to the FEC’s campus located within the Flagship Business Park.

The Accelerator Building is an 80,000 square foot multi-tenant business/industrial facility similar to the FEC’s existing Energy Systems Center. The facility will be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified, an internationally recognized environmentally-conscious building standard, and will feature a solar wall to utilize passive solar heat. It is also distinguished by its use of geothermal heat pumps for the office space, a 32 foot clear span, and the availability of 12 docks and 2 drive-in docks.

The construction of the Accelerator was made possible in large part by a $2.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce – EDA.

Charles Staley, President and CEO of the Flagship Enterprise Center, stated “We have had a long and successful relationship with the EDA and are extremely grateful for their support. In 2004, an initial grant from the EDA, along with private funds, enabled us to build the Flagship Enterprise Center. In 2007, the FEC was designated as a Center of Excellence in Community and Faith Based Social Entrepreneurship. And this year, the EDA’s grant has allowed us to build a new facility that will have a very positive impact on economic development in our community.”

The Lab Addition is a 3,200 square foot building added on to the east end of the existing Flagship Enterprise Center. It serves as a laboratory and prototyping space that houses the FEC’s second full-chassis dynamometer, a tool used to measure the torque and power characteristics of automobiles. The facility also allows for testing capabilities of PHEV/EV (Plug in Hybrid Electric/Electric Vehicle) applications. Bright eSolutions will begin using the facility in late November.

The construction of the Lab Addition was spurred on by receipt of a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Economic Development Initiative-Special Project (EDI-SP) grant for $475,000, with an additional $200,000 grant received in 2010 for the dynamometer. Staley added, “We are extremely thankful to Senator Lugar who was instrumental in assisting us with the process.”