Nebraska Innovation Campus announces new partners

Released on 02/03/2015, at 2:00 PM
Office of University Communications
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Lincoln, Neb., February 3rd, 2015 —
Nebraska Innovation Campus has announced three new partners. Dan Duncan, executive director of NIC, said Hastings HVAC, Echo Canyon Services and Quantified Ag would move into space on campus later this year.

“NIC and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln welcome these three companies and are excited about the culture and innovation they bring in becoming our partners,” Duncan said.  

Hastings HVAC will conduct metallurgical and new product research on heating, ventilating and air handling products, as well as biological engineered pollution remediation compounds and equipment. Echo Canyon Services, a Managed Data Services company, will provide big data services, enterprise resource planning software implementation, business process management services and enterprise resource process. Quantified Ag specializes in improving animal health, focusing on radio frequency ear tag technology and data collection platforms for the cattle and hog industries.

Quantified Ag is a 2014 graduate of the NMotion Accelerator, a 13-week, mentor-driven startup accelerator. NMotion focuses on high-growth software and technology-based businesses in targeted areas of agriculture, education, finance/insurance, healthcare, human resources and sports technologies. 

While attending the 2014 NMotion Accelerator Demo Day at NIC, Hastings Mayor Vern Powers, CEO of Hastings HVAC, became interested in the opportunities available on the campus.

“Since the inception of the NIC idea eight years ago, I’ve been intrigued about pairing private industry and our University of Nebraska system … and about how this pairing would not only benefit our state, but the world in its entirety,” Powers said.

Powers, a 1984 UNL graduate, also is president of Echo Canyon Services and is an investor and board member of Quantified Ag. Powers helped Quantified Ag as a mentor to its CEO, Vishal Singh, while the company went through the NMotion accelerator program in 2014.

Powers said he believes the companies’ ideas for research and new products could be coupled with the talent that Nebraska provides, and NIC is a perfect fit for him and his partners to begin that process. 

UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman said he was pleased the new partners would be joining in the ongoing development of the Food Innovation Center, a 178,000 square-foot complex that houses the UNL Food Science and Technology Department as well as ConAgra Foods Inc. The center provides world-class facilities for the department as well as private partners in leased space. 

“We are excited about Vern’s commitment to NIC and the three new partners that join us on our journey of innovation leading to economic growth for all of Nebraska,” Perlman said. 

The partners are scheduled to move into their new spaces on July 1.  

Nebraska Innovation Campus is a research campus designed to facilitate new and in-depth partnerships between the university and private sector businesses. At full build-out, NIC will be a 2.2-million square-foot campus with uniquely designed buildings and amenities that encourage people to create and transform ideas into global innovation. For more information visit www.innovate.unl.edu. 

Tetrad Property Group is the private sector development partner for Phase I of Nebraska Innovation Campus. Tetrad provides a full range of development services for the campus, including master planning, construction management, leasing and property management. For more information, visit www.tetradpropertygroup.com.

 

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