Bioscience project earns SRDC award

• City representatives give award

Laura Grevas/Daily Globe The Southwest Regional Development Corporation gave its Project of the Year award to the City of Worthington Bioscience Testing and Training Center. Pictured are (from left) SRDC Executive Director Jay Trusty, WREDC manager Glenn Thuringer, Bryan Hagen, Director of Community/Economic Development Brad Chapulis, Sandy Demuth, Mayor Alan Oberloh, Royce Boehrs, City Administrator Craig Clark, Worthington Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Darlene Maklin, Gene Foth, SRDC Chairman Gary Sorenson.

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Southwest Regional Development Commission gives award Thursday

WORTHINGTON — The Bioscience Testing and Training Center was awarded the Southwest Regional Development Commission’s Regional Project of the Year award at the organization’s annual meeting on Thursday.

Representatives of the city, the Worthington Regional Economic Development Corp. and SRDC staff accepted the award during the program at Minnesota West Community and Technical College.

“They recognized the need in the area for … a regional testing center and high tech advances to grow businesses,” said SRDC Chairman Gary Sorenson of the City of Worthington Bioscience Testing and Training Center/Business Incubator, which is located at the intersection of U.S. 59 and Interstate 90.

Referring to the project’s slow start, Mayor Alan Oberloh said:

“When I first became mayor, the big red barn was empty. The thought of having it sit empty on I-90 … was not appealing to the area as a whole. … Because of continued efforts on the bioscience part of it, you’re seeing continued growth in the bioscience field because of a project that failed.”

“We talk a lot about how economic development is built on relationships,” added Glenn Thuringer, manager of the Worthington Regional Economic Development Corp. “This project is a perfect example of that.”

Comments by Sorenson and executive director Jay Trusty preceded the award presentation. The men reviewed area EDA grants and emphasized the need to focus on outmigration from the nine counties served by SRDC. Sorenson also stressed the importance of developing 3G service and other technologies that would move the region forward.

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