TROY ? Automation Alley hosted the grand opening of its new headquarters Monday night, appropriately enough in the Automation Alley Technology Park in the Troy SmartZone. The $2.5 million price tag was paid entirely by state and federal grants, while most of the equipment and furnishings were donated by Alley members.
Almost 400 people packed the 12,000 square foot building to hear a series of speeches, both short and long, from the politicians and government leaders that helped make Automation Alley happen. They included Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, who founded Automation Alley, and his right-hand man, Deputy County Executive Ken Rogers. Rogers also is Automation Alley?s executive director. Both men had portions of the building named after them.
?I?m very excited,?? Rogers said. ?We finally have a home for Automation Alley. We?re now all under one roof and we?ll better serve our 500 members in the future.?
Automation Alley staff had been housed in the Oakland County Executive Building in Pontiac. Their new home ? built at below market cost by Barton Malow ? includes offices and cubicles for a staff of 15 as well as a 2,200 square foot glass Technology Atrium, which doubles as a meeting room and auditorium to seat 150. Two conference rooms offer Web casting, conference calling and video conferencing capabilities for Alley members. The entire building has wireless internet access.
Tom Anderson, Automation Alley?s Technology Director, said he and his staff moved into the building on Oct. 8. The following week, the facility hosted its first event, a Small Business Innovation Research grant workshop.
?We now have a home that is symbolic of the Alley growing up and becoming a regional networking group,?? Anderson said. ?This office also gives us a physical office for the NAC (National Automotive Center) to co-locate.?
The NAC is part of the U.S. Army?s TACOM facility in Warren. Automation Alley has partnered with NAC to help its members get plugged into future Army technology products and services.
Automation Alley also has partnered with the Wireless Source and Junior Achievement of Southeast Michigan in the ?Junior Achievement Challenge.? Rogers presented Junior Achievement a $1,500 donation to kick off the campaign, which involves The Wireless Source recycling used cell phones.
For every phone collected a charitable donation will be made to Junior Achievement in the individual company?s name regardless of the age or condition of the phone. The Challenge is set to run until the end of December 2005.
