U.S. Photonics buys property near JVIC

The Springfield-based nanotechnology company purchased the 10,000-square-foot building at 521 Boonville – right across the street from Jordan Valley Innovation Center – for an undisclosed amount from Nick Sibley of Nick Sibley Music. The sale closed Jan. 31.

Jacob Krizan of Coldwell Banker Vanguard Realtors represented the buyer, and John Schnoebelen of Schnoebelen Commercial acted on the seller’s behalf.

U.S. Photonics co-owner Ryan Zweerink said his company has been looking for downtown property since construction began on JVIC in late 2005. Zweerink and Jacob Conner launched U.S. Photonics as an offshoot of Ozark Laser Systems – a separate company Zweerink owns – in January 2006. The spinoff company was recently named a JVIC project affiliate by the Missouri State University Board of Governors.

Being 50 paces from JVIC’s front door has its advantages, Zweerink said.

“It’s mutually beneficial because we have a lot of laboratory equipment that JVIC can utilize, and we’re willing to share. Likewise, they’ve got a lot of stuff we’ll be sharing,” he said.

Still, finding the right downtown spot for U.S. Photonics hasn’t been easy.

‘From agriculture to nanotechnology’

U.S. Photonics uses ultra-fine lasers to create tiny micromachines and nanomachines with potential applications in the biomedical and defense fields. Zweerink said significant vibrations associated with the lasers warranted a single-story building. Proximity to JVIC was also a priority, he said.

Zweerink credited Krizan for tracking down Sibley, who wasn’t necessarily interested in selling the building before JVIC was completed. Construction of the seven-story research facility’s $12.4 million Phase I is expected to wrap up this spring, MSU officials said.

“(Zweerink and Conner) came along and offered me a lot more than I paid for it,” Sibley said. “I really didn’t want to sell, but I wanted to sell to a tech company ... and that came along early.”

Shortly after he bought the building in late 2004, Sibley leased it to Rincon Latino Discoteca – a dance club and restaurant that opened in January 2005. Zweerink said the club’s owners understand they will have to move out by summer, when renovations are slated to begin.

The building, which has concrete floors and block and brick walls, is perfect for U.S. Photonics, Zweerink said. “It’s industrial strength,” he added.

Sifferman’s Implement Co. built the structure in 1945. Zweerink said the company sold tractors and other farm equipment made by McCormick-Deering, the predecessor to International Harvester. At the time, the store was opposite the MFA mill complex now being transformed into JVIC.

“We’re going from agriculture to nanotechnology,” he said.

Retro renovations

U.S. Photonics expects to spend about $750,000 renovating the building to capture its original feel, Zweerink said.

“We’re going to put the building back as close to what it was in 1945,” he said.

The goal is to have the building added to the National Register of Historic Places, which would open the door for state and federal historic preservation tax credits, Zweerink said. Architect Tim Rosenbury with Butler, Rosenbury & Partners Inc. will design the building’s retro look, he said.

The new U.S. Photonics headquarters, which will house a lobby, offices and numerous clean rooms, is in an Enhanced Enterprise Zone, which translates to 50 percent property tax abatement for 10 years, said Mary Lilly Smith, the city’s economic development director.

U.S. Photonics also has applied for a low-interest loan through the city’s small business loan program, which is funded with federal community development block grants, Smith said. City officials are pleased to see JVIC’s presence already spurring private redevelopment.

“Ryan’s project is right on target in terms of what we’ve been hoping JVIC would accomplish,” Smith said, noting that a second goal is that products developed at JVIC would entice manufacturing companies to build plants in Springfield.

Read more on U.S. Photonics: Motion simulator has athletic applications[[In-content Ad]]