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Whitewater tech park secures major tenant

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Photo by Tony DiNicola

Whitewater University Technology Park

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Eppstein Uhen Architects

Cooperative Educational Service Agency 2 will anchor the Whitewater Innovation Center, a 40,000-square-foot business incubator that will be the centerpiece of the new Whitewater University Technology Park.The educational agency,the largest in the state,will occupy about 25 percent of the building in office and conference space, pictured above. CESA 2 signed a 10-year lease to become the park’s first major tenant. The lease takes effect in February 2011.

WHITEWATER — The Whitewater University Technology Park has landed its first major tenant.

Cooperative Educational Service Agency 2, which has its headquarters in Milton, signed a 10-year lease to be an anchor tenant in the Whitewater Innovation Center, a 40,000-square-foot business incubator that will be the centerpiece of the park.

The educational agency, the largest in the state, will occupy about 25 percent of the building.

The Whitewater Community Development Authority approved the lease Monday.

The city and UW-Whitewater last fall jointly proposed the park to marry the city’s business potential with the university’s business resources and foster technology growth in the area.

City Manager Kevin Brunner said CESA 2 might not be a small startup business—a typical tenant of a business incubator—but it offers support to other business and could help attract small businesses to the park.

“We recognize the need for support businesses,” he said. “CESA 2 has the potential to offer support, and we’re already seeing interest from other education-related business in being a part of this.”

CESA 2 serves more than 135,000 students and 7,200 teachers in 74 school districts in seven counties in southern Wisconsin, including Rock and Walworth counties. The agency provides professional development opportunities for teachers and helps school districts with its regular and special education programs.

Gary Albrecht, CESA 2 administrator, said the agency was attracted to the technology park because of the opportunity to work with UW-Whitewater, which each year graduates a significant number of new teachers.

“This is a real unique opportunity,” he said. “This will be a good opportunity for us to familiarize future educators with CESA and to partner with UW-Whitewater to provide professional development opportunities to graduate students.

“We’re very excited about the move.”

UW-Whitewater Chancellor Richard Telfer said the agency is a good match for the park.

“(Its) mission of providing education and training support services for area districts is a natural fit with the work already being done on campus in the UW-Whitewater College of Education,” he said in a news release.

About 30 CESA 2 employees will work in the Innovation Center. The lease takes effect in February 2011.

Construction of the Innovation Center should begin within the next several months, Brunner said. The city and the university are finalizing building plans, he said.

In September, the Whitewater University Technology Park—a 125-acre section in the Whitewater Business Park—received a $4.7 million federal Economic Development Administration grant to help fund the Innovation Center and park development, including street extensions, water and sewer improvements and stormwater upgrades.

Total cost of the project is estimated at $11 million. The remainder will come from the Community Development Authority, revenue bonds and other sources, officials said.