Industry News

On March 13 Star Scientific, maker of smokeless tobacco products, announced an expansion of its Clarksville manufacturing and processing facilities. Star, based in Chester, Va., will invest $49.9 million in the plant which will manufacture Stonewall and Ariva, a "cigalett" or mint-bit that supplies tobacco users with nicotine for use in smoke-free environments.

Rowan University is in the planning stage of developing the new South Jersey Technology Park. The park will include a technology incubator as well as a major research center to build on the University's extensive research capabilities. Costing between $10-million and $20-million to build, the facility is expected to open in the next 18 months to 2 years.

Rutgers University School of Business is planning the new Rutgers-Camden High-Tech Business Incubator/Commercialization Center. The "virtual incubator", under the auspices of the William G. Rohrer Center for Management and Entrepreneurship, will provide computer services, high-speed Internet access, conference space, and telephone assistance to fledgling technology companies. The incubator is being developed and funded by a $435,000 contract with the Delaware River Port Authority.

Erbe USA hosted the grand opening of its new Marietta headquarters on April 5, 2002. The 24,000-sf facility accommodates 35 full-time employees and 30 independent contractors. The facility houses the North American operations of German parent firm, Erbe Elektromedizin, a privately held medical device company based in Tubingen.

The International Genomics Consortium (IGC), a non-profit medical research organization, plans to decide the location of its administrative headquarters in summer 2002. Among states under consideration are Arizona, Texas, Maryland, and Georgia. The genomics consortium will house research labs, administrative offices and a center coordinating off-site research. The IGC utilizes data from the Human Genome Project to search for cures for disease.