Business View Magazine - October 2018

20 21 VIRGINIA TECH CORPORATE RESEARCH CENTER G.J. Hopkins, Inc. A BRANCH GROUP COMPANY BUILDING LEGACIES WITH VTCRC FOR 25+ YEARS CONTINUING OUR LEGACY WITH VT CARILION BIOMEDICAL RESEACH EXPANSION 714 5th Street | NE, Roanoke, VA 24016 | gjhopkins.com ROANOKE, VA | COMPLETION 2020 From Left: Dr. John Dooley Carol Stewart Dr. Joe Meredith Dawn Myers CPM and through other entrepreneurs, and help develop them.We like to position ourselves as value-added to provide connections and path- ways for companies to be successful. It’s not just a national presence, there are also inter- national companies that chose to locate in the Park, recognizing the access to talent and tech- nical skill the university brings.” BVM: What technological advancements did the VTCRC build into the infrastructure to assist your clients? Myers: “In 2015, we upgraded our network to deliver 1 gigabit internet circuits to each office suite. This level of connectivity is one hundred times faster than most organizations are using today. The network offers a built-in system re- dundancy, so tenants always have Internet, the technology to handle video conferencing, VoIP from any suite, expandability so tenants can get the bandwidth and capability they need without major upgrades to the system, and monitoring so issues can be resolved quickly.We can as- sist clients of all sizes and their full range of IT needs - from a start-up to a full-scale global company.” BVM: What is the competitive advantage that VTCRC offers for their clients? Dr. Meredith: “We have learned over the years that focusing on diversity of technolo- gies creates the opportunity for collaboration. For example: computer companies that team up with bio-tech companies and then work in the field in between– like bio-informatics.We have intentionally solicited diverse technolo- gies, whereas other research parks around the country have focused on bio-tech or solar or advanced materials.We think having a bit of everything is the best strategy. “Of the 3,000 plus employees here, about 10 percent are taking at least one class at the university. The interesting thing we’ve learned from our customers is that more than 50 per- cent of the 3,000 have no degree from Virginia Tech.When we talk about the Research Park being an economic engine, these are all people recruited from elsewhere who have come to Blacksburg to meet job opportunities.” BVM: With regards to capital investment, what areas are the next notable investments/ projects? And how do environmental initiatives come into play? Dr. Meredith: “The next big project is housing. We’re excited about having the opportunity for our tenants’ employees to live, work, and play