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.