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New Flagship buildings dedicated

By Abbey Doyle The Herald Bulletin

The dedication of two new buildings at Anderson’s Flagship Enterprise Center is a “new phase of growth of a remarkable resource,” U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar said during the Tuesday afternoon ceremony.

Lugar was one of more than 150 on hand for the ribbon cutting of the 80,000-square-foot, multi-tenant Accelerator Building and the lab addition for the Flagship’s second dynamometer.

Flagship CEO Chuck Staley said officials are talking to representatives of several businesses about possibly leasing space in the Accelerator Building. Unlike other landlords, Flagship officials aren’t focused on getting the most rent. Instead, they are trying to find companies that create critical mass in the center’s skills set, specifically electrical engineering and medical technologies.

“We want to add to the nucleus we already have here,” Staley said.

The Accelerator Building is a business and industrial facility similar to the Flagship’s existing Energy Systems Center. The facility will be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified. It features a solar wall to utilize passive solar heat and uses geothermal heat pumps for the office space.

Flagship Enterprise Center Director DeWayne Landwehr said the construction of the building was made possible, in large part, by a $2.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The Lab Addition is a 3,200-square-foot building added to the east end of the existing center. It serves as a lab and prototyping space that houses the Flagship’s second full-chassis dynamometer, a tool used to measure the torque and power characteristics of automobiles. Bright eSolutions will begin using the facility in late November.

The receipt of a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Economic Development Initiative-Special Project grant of $475,000, as well as a $200,000 grant received for the dynamometer, helped with the construction of the lab addition.

During the dedication, Staley talked about the impact the Flagship has had on the Anderson area. It has helped to create more than 70 companies and 1,400 jobs, he said.

“We have helped our community learn to believe in itself again, regain confidence,” Staley added.

The Flagship gives the community a “glimpse, a portal into what Anderson and Madison County can and will become,” Staley said.

Mayor Kris Ockomon said the two structures are important to the community.

“They provide essential infrastructure for emerging businesses that have been nurtured through the business support process that is the specialty of the team of professionals here at Flagship,” he said. “Like reliable electrical power, rich quantities of water and a thriving interstate corridor behind us, these buildings are part of the critical infrastructure that will make our fledgling businesses prosper and will attract new businesses to our community.”

Contact Abbey Doyle, 640-4805, abbey.doyle@heraldbulletin.com.