HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-05-09 South Bend’s legacy of innovation sparks Ignition Park
Office of the Mayor
NEWS RELEASE
January 5, 2009
3 p.m.
South Bend’s legacy of innovation sparks Ignition Park
Contact:
Mikki Dobski, Director of Communications & Special Projects, 235-5855 or 876-1564
It shall be called Ignition Park.
It has been a place where the City of South Bend has mounted Indiana’s most aggressive
environmental restoration effort to remove decaying buildings of its rust-belt past, where the
legacy of Studebaker Corp. haunted the memories of a previous generation of workers yet
inspired others with its reputation for quality, reliability and innovative style.
Now, the 83 acres southeast of Sample and Chapin streets in the former Studebaker Corridor
will be home to a portion of Indiana’s first two-site State-Certified Technology Park with
Innovation Park at Notre Dame, which is now under construction on 12 acres along Edison
Road across from the University of Notre Dame campus.
It is a place where efforts are under way to invest millions in resources to capture a portion of
the projected $1 trillion U.S. nanoelectronics industry, especially research emerging from the
Midwest Institute for Nanoelectronics Discovery (MIND) at Notre Dame, the newest of four
national research centers funded by the nation’s leading computer chip makers.
Mayor Stephen J. Luecke unveiled the name for the 83-acre Sample Street site in a news
conference today, culminating a communitywide contest that drew 250 entries to rename the
site that was home to the Studebaker portion of South Bend’s legacy of innovation.
“Ignition Park signals that this site will spark the creativity of researchers and engineers into
the commercialization of new innovative products that we have yet to imagine,” Luecke said.
“The name draws on the city’s legacy of innovation and heritage in the automotive industry,
yet points to our future as a launching pad for nanotechnology and other high-tech ventures.”
“I am enthusiastic about South Bend’s future and cannot imagine a name more fitting for the
Studebaker Corridor than Ignition Park. This name recalls the successful economic history of
South Bend while also sparking a strong interest in South Bend's remarkable high-tech
economic resurgence through the naming and development of Ignition Park,” said U.S. Rep.
Joe Donnelly, congressman from Indiana’s Second Congressional District. “I applaud Mayor
Luecke and his team, and I look forward to continuing to work with them as South Bend
continues to prosper and grow.”
“All forward movement begins with ignition,” said Patrick McMahon, executive director of
Project Future, an economic development catalyst for the greater South Bend area.
“Innovative individuals and a skilled workforce drove 150 years of development in this
community. This name represents a resurgence in local inventiveness, a signal that, as a
community, we are returning to our roots.”
A “tipping point” in the decision to locate MIND at Notre Dame for the nation’s leading
computer chip makers was the strong partnership between the City of South Bend, Notre
Dame and the state of Indiana, according to Jeffrey Welser, Ph.D., director of the
Semiconductor Research Corp.’s Nanoelectronics Research Initiative.
“The establishment of Ignition Park, along with Innovation Park, demonstrates that South
Bend and Notre Dame are following through on their commitments. You are not just talking
about doing things – you are actually doing them,” Welser said. “Together, South Bend and
Notre Dame are taking bold steps toward transforming this area into a great source of
technological innovation and product development in the future. When I look back to March
2008 when we announced the location of MIND in South Bend, and when I look at the
progress that has been made since then, including establishing Ignition Park and Innovation
Park, it reaffirms – without any doubts – that we made exactly the right decision.”
The collaborative relationship between Innovation Park at Notre Dame and Ignition Park in
South Bend is highlighted by the new name. Companies formed at Innovation Park are
expected to graduate to Ignition Park, yet continue to receive support services and other
benefits from being part of the same state-certified technology park. While Innovation Park
will facilitate commercialization for all forms of research, Ignition Park will focus on
nanotechnology commercialization of MIND-inspired concepts as well as on other high-
potential technologies and ventures, including many emerging from Innovation Park.
“Innovation Park is designed to be a transformational space conducive to the
commercialization of new ideas, and a place that provides clients with many of the
ingredients needed for real-world success,” said David Brenner, president and CEO of
Innovation Park at Notre Dame. “Ignition Park will be a place for these ventures to put down
roots and grow their businesses once they are ready to leave Innovation Park. We are so
pleased to be able to offer our clients a place to ‘ignite’ in the area, and are looking forward
to many years of close collaboration.”
The Mayor also presented prizes to the winners in the public name competition. Although the
final name emerged from a community review process, two public submissions were selected
for their contribution to the process.
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Jeremy Pinckert of Explore Media in Elkhart, Ind., received first place for MINDworks
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2
Paul Pedersen of South Bend received second place for South Bend Nano
Prizes include an iPod Nano (8 gigabytes), a $100 iTunes gift card and a suite at Coveleski
Stadium for a South Bend Silver Hawks game.
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