smc MinnWest Technology Campus

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When two flourishing businesses needed to expand their operations, they found a new home in the unlikeliest of places – a historic healthcare facility in Willmar, Minn., that once served as a refuge for the mentally ill. Nova Tech Engineering and Life-Science Innovations saw potential in the former Willmar Regional Treatment Center and not only took residency there, but developed the 96-acre site into a full-service business park.

The two companies formed MinnWest Technology Campus Management Co. in 2006, with the intent to attract up-and-coming science and technology players to the area through state-of-the-art amenities and a direct connection to renowned bioscience programs at local and state universities. “We believe in companies being close to each other to share ideas,” President Jim Sieben explains. “That really creates a vibrant campus.”

Sieben spends about 20 percent of his time managing MinnWest Technology Campus with his partners, Vice President Scott Norling and General Manager Steve Salzer. The remaining 80 percent is spent as vice president and general manager of Nova Tech Engineering.

Four years ago, when Economic Coordinator Steve Renquist suggested they look at the Willmar Regional Treatment Center as their new home, “The idea of it seemed ridiculous,” Sieben recalls. “It was truly so far out there, it made us laugh. But as we continued to evaluate the situation, we felt we could make this a very legitimate technology campus.”

Historic Landmark
MinnWest Technology Campus is situated in a picturesque woodland area surrounded by hundreds of lakes. The site contains 33 buildings, 11 of which are three-level cottages – each encompassing approximately 18,000 square feet – and 27 are owned by MinnWest Technology Campus Management Co. The buildings feature pillared entryways with arched details and sloping red-shingled roofs, and were designed by famed St. Paul, Minn., architect Clarence H. Johnston Sr., who designed other historic structures across the state.

The campus was developed in 1907 to serve as home to the second state hospital in Minnesota, originally known as Willmar State Hospital and later renamed Willmar Regional Treatment Center. The state operated the healthcare facility – which was designed to house up to 1,200 patients – for 80 years.

But as modern medicine and psychiatry evolved, patient numbers decreased to the point where only 50 percent of the facility was being used; the rest was neglected. Hoping to protect the stately buildings from further deterioration, the state opted to sell the campus in 2004.

Like-Minded Firms
MinnWest Technology Campus boasts 400,000 square feet of leasable space. The company is in the process of demolishing the interiors to the shell so that prospective tenants can design and build their ideal workspaces. The goal is to match like-minded companies in the same building to encourage collaboration and networking.

“At this point, we have some very good core technology companies already working here on campus,” Sieben notes.

To date, 20 companies reside at the business park with approximately 260 employees. Tenants range from brain trauma research firms and vaccine and MRI systems developers to mechanical, electrical, plastics, software and telecommunications engineers and high-tech manufacturers.
One the company’s challenges is the fact that MinnWest Technology Campus “is designated on a historic site, so we have to work under the jurisdiction of a Minnesota historic group,” Sieben says.

“This can create issues when you have a high-tech company requiring certain things within a facility.”
Although historical restrictions have posed some minor limitations, Sieben insists that solutions are always found when all cooperating parties work together for the common goal.

Educational Focus
In keeping with the campus’s collaborative theme, MinnWest Technology Campus Co. teamed up with the University of Minnesota, St. Cloud State, Ridgewater College, the city of Willmar and the state of Minnesota to build a state-of-the-art bioscience research facility on the site. 

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Develop­ment awarded a $1.25 million grant to the city of Willmar to help pay for the facility, and MinnWest Technology Campus Management Co. is matching the amount for a total project cost of $2.5 million.

The team will use one of the cottages for the new facility. After construction is completed in the spring of 2010, the Mid-Central Biosciences Center will be donated to the city of Willmar and wholly operated by the University of Minnesota.

The new building will serve as a gateway between businesses on campus and higher education institutions. It will contain a research laboratory that the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota State Colleges and University System will use to assist local bioscience businesses. Students will have the opportunity to work on real business development projects, and the companies will have a direct connection to resources provided by the schools’ top-notch research and development programs.

“When you see all of the collaboration that is involved, it’s creating quite an amount of excitement within the whole state of Minnesota,” Sieben says. “This has never been done before where all of these groups have pulled together to develop something like this. We are really excited about what it can bring to us.”

Future is Bright
Current economic conditions are “probably the largest factor” that Minnwest Technology Campus Management Co. must contend with, Sieben admits. However, “I see us continuing to thrive throughout this,” he asserts. “We are relatively new to the business park business, but we are flourishing while many others are stagnant and failing. Time will tell what we are able to accomplish. In the future, we are looking at a very vibrant campus and continue to market it in a manner to fill the facilities up. Our intent is to get more companies and increase the number of people here on campus, and make it a very vibrant business community.”