David HubbardWeb Editor

Students who are not aware of the SDSU Innovation Campus may be missing out on future employment opportunities.

The Innovation Center is located on the northeast side of the SDSU campus, just off of the I-29 overpass exit. The campus itself occupies 125 acres, with over 80 acres available for development. The site has the potential of housing up to 40 buildings, with 1 million square feet capable of supporting up to 3,000 employees.

From the high-tech conference room that has high-definition video conferencing and a Smart Board, to administrative and web hosting services, businesses that lease space from the Innovation Campus have access to everything they need to make a small business grow.

Since the Innovation Center’s ground breaking ceremony in November 2007 and its official opening in October 2008, the Innovation Campus has been providing class A office and laboratory space to SDSU and businesses alike, said Teresa McKnight, CEO and executive director of the SDSU Innovation Campus administration office.

McKnight has over 20 years of experience in developing incubation centers and directed a 173-acre research park for the Utah State University.

To date, there are 20 companies occupying space within the Innovation Center and it is at 84 percent capacity, with over 50 employees and 13 SDSU students. An additional wing, which will provide 18,000 additional square feet to the existing 28,000 square-foot building, will be added to the Innovation Center in the spring.

One of the companies located in the Innovation Center is 9 Clouds.

“9 Clouds has grown into multiple businesses since moving into the Innovation Campus,” said Scott Meyer, Chief Outreach Officer of 9 Clouds. “We continue to assist and educate businesses and individuals on using digital technology. Now we also develop iPhone and iPad apps with our mobile app company Snapp.”

Meyer said being based in South Dakota is not a hindrance.

“There is a stigma that South Dakota is not a hub of technology,” Meyer said. “We’ve found the opposite. Anything being based in South Dakota gives us insight into how the average American uses technology, which is quite different than the coasts.”

Aside from the Innovation Center, a 28,000 square foot Seed Technology Lab provides additional office space with specialized labs and a greenhouse.

Herseth Sandlin’s Return to Brookings

At the beginning of this year, former S.D. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin accepted a position on the SDSU Growth Partnership Board. The position, which is currently held by Don Larson, will allow Herseth Sandlin to oversee the progress made by the Innovation Campus.

“The arrival of Herseth Sandlin will help strengthen our alliance with our D.C. delegation and help build a strong base of Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies as potential clients”, said McKnight. “Stephanie’s appointment means strengthening the board to push forward an aggressive marketing campaign to recruit anchor research and development companies and continue to construct facilities to accommodate future tenants.”

Herseth Sandlin was eager to take the position and found that it would be a great opportunity.

“When Don Larson with the Brookings County Commission reached out to me last December about the possibility of serving on the Growth Partnership Board as the Commission’s representative. I knew it was a terrific opportunity to continue my advocacy for South Dakota,” Herseth Sandlin said. “The Innovation Campus is the state’s first research park, and this is a wonderful opportunity to be part of a skilled and serious team seeking to ensure its success.”

Herseth Sandlin went on to talk about how important she believes the Innovation Campus is to the state of South Dakota.

“Some of the best jobs of the future for Brookings and all of South Dakota will depend on research, the acquisition of new knowledge and applying and marketing that knowledge for commercial purposes,” Herseth Sandlin said. “I am so pleased to be working with other members of the Board and our community to build on the strengths of SDSU, cultivate business partnerships and recruit entrepreneurs–all essential to the successful development and growth of the Innovation Campus.”

Future of the Innovation Campus

As the Innovation Campus continues into its third year, McKnight hopes that the facility will continue to grow to its full potential.

“Looking into the future, our goals are to have a large number of SDSU students employed at the Innovation Campus, ” said McKnight. The Innovation Campus looks forward to fostering cooperation between SDSU researchers and groups with private and government partners. We would like to have several large anchor research and development companies locate to the Innovation Campus.” The development of the Innovation Campus is a long-term project. “Based on national standards, it takes 10 years to reach a successful level. We are two years into this and we are already seeing market demand increasing,” said McKnight.

#1.2005530:3051511941.jpeg:The Innovation Center is on the northeast side of campus, just off of the I-29 overpass.:The Innovation Center is on the northeast side of campus, just off of the I-29 overpass. Former S.D. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin accepted a position in which she will oversee the progress made by the Innovation Campus.:Collegian Photo by Stephen Brua