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AlphaMicron to expand at KSU facility

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November 24, 2008

KSURsrchPrk110508KEN_LS01 KSU CENTENNIAL RESEARCH PARK

Kent State University President Lester Lefton and AlphaMicron CEO Bahman Taheri have announced a lease agreement that will enable AlphaMicron to expand its manufacturing operations into the majority of the available space in KSU's Centennial Research Park.
It is expected that AlphaMicron will move into the research park in early 2009. Centennial Research Park is located at the intersection of S.R. 59 and S.R. 261 in Franklin Township in the former Fiala Transportation Building. The 41,000-square-foot research park will house two high-tech start-up companies that have their roots in liquid crystal research activities launched at KSU.
Founded in 1997, Alpha Micron is a venture that has licensed KSU technology and used that knowledge and its own technical prowess to become a manufacturer of high-tech consumer products containing advanced liquid crystal applications. The company was founded by current and former KSU Liquid Crystal Institute faculty members. AlphaMicron produces products such as liquid crystal-infused motorcycle helmet visors and sunglasses.
Begun in KSU's former bus garage, Centennial Research Park was launched in mid-2007 as a business accelerator for local high-tech companies. All of the companies that will ultimately fill the building provide well-paying jobs for the local economy. Many also employ master's and doctoral level graduates of KSU's programs.
The agreement was signed by KSU, AlphaMicron and University Development Group Inc., a non-profit corporation that will serve as the landlord for the research park. Development of the research park is a critical component of the university's FLEXMatters initiative, which has the mission to build an industrial cluster in Northeastern Ohio for the research, development and production of flexible liquid crystal displays, electronics and photovoltaics.
"Our partnerships with companies such as AlphaMicron show that Kent State's research passion for liquid crystal technology is aligned with the needs of forward-thinking entrepreneurs who know how to translate technology into products from which we can all benefit," said John West, KSU vice president for research.
"AlphaMicron is very excited to become the anchor tenant in Kent State University's Centennial Research Park," Taheri said.

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7.	Posted by Fair Tax November 28, 2008
	Yeah, Yeah, still a loss of 45% of income tax revenues. Also there is no guarantee that these employees will reside in Kent and spend money in Kent. I thought the whole point of Centennial Research park was to assist start-ups in getting their businesses of the the ground and not to compete for established companies of a city.

6.	Posted by ohioprof November 26, 2008
	The story on the front page today explains the tax situation with AlphaMicron moving to the JEDD.

5.	Posted by Fair Tax November 24, 2008
	Just what Kent wants - more of its citizens working outside the city. Never in all of my years have I seen a city give money to company moving outside the city limits. You know what would've worked better - selling Kent's central maintenance building on Overholt Road to AlphaMicron. It was designed to be an industrial building and would have suited AlphaMicron's needs just like when KAPCO owned it. This idea would also right the travesty of Kent's central maintenance occupying a prime industrial building and generating income tax revenue. Another opportunuty lost and council allowed it to happen - not victory!!!

4.	Posted by ohioprof November 24, 2008
	AlphaMicron could have moved somewhere out of the area. Instead, they will expand here and provide jobs to people who live in Kent. This is a good thing, a victory for Kent. It's not a failure by the city or by the city council.

3.	Posted by Fair Tax November 24, 2008
	So, Alphamicron is not staying in Kent, and Kent city council approved a loan to help them move out of Kent. I wonder which Kent business will get paid for moving out of town next by the city of Kent. Rob Anderson, who gets the property taxes for Centennial Park?

2.	Posted by ohioprof November 24, 2008
	The loan was intended to help AlphaMicron to move into Centennial Research Park. So yes, the city council members knew what they were doing when they approved the revolving loan. This is a quote from the Kent city manager's blog from August 1, 2008: "Dan Smith is requesting Committee time to ask for Council's approval of an appropriation from the city's revolving loan fund for the expansion of Alpha Micron at the Centennial Research Park located in the Kent/Franklin JEDD. Alpha Micron has experienced significant business success at its current Kent location and after receiving the largest Third Frontier commercialization grant in Ohio ($5 million) they are now ramping up manufacturing operations and they need a larger facility. Dan has been working with Alpha Micron to keep their operations in Kent and Dan would like Council's authorization to offer Alpha Micron the financial benefits available through the City's RLF."

1.	Posted by Fair Tax November 24, 2008
	So this means that the city of Kent is losing a business that it just extended a revolving loan to? Another empty industrial site in Kent. I understand that Centennial Research Park is in the Franklin JEDD, but Kent only gets a fraction of the income taxes. Why didn't council know this when they were extending the loan or did they know about the move when they were voting for it? Some good investigating needs done on this. Sounds like another bad decision by the city council that should translate into the recall.

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