The Stafford Board of Supervisors, their academic partners, George Mason University, the University of Mary Washington and Germanna Community College, and special guests, U.S. Congressman Rob Wittman and Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates Bill Howell, celebrated the grand opening of the Stafford Technology and Research Center with a ribbon cutting and reception on Thursday, September 6, 2012.

One of the goals of the Board of Supervisors Economic Development 10-Point plan is to attract and retain a high-quality workforce. Creating a Technology and Research Center will help Stafford meet the evolving academic needs of the more than 30,000 tech sector employees who work in and around the area, plus be conducive to technology-oriented business growth.

“By increasing the presence and educational opportunities offered by UMW, Germanna, GMU and others, we are branding Stafford and the Quantico Region as a proactive, progressive 21st Century employment center,” said Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Susan Stimpson, Falmouth District. “The Technology and Research Center will help lay the groundwork for a full-fledged technology and research park. We know that having a highly skilled and educated workforce will draw more businesses and jobs to Stafford. The center will pull educational pieces together, and serve as the hub of activities as we begin to pursue national security-related research opportunities.”

The center’s convenient location just 600 yards from the South Gate of the Marine Corps Base Quantico makes it the ideal location to offer classes in Informatics, Data Science and Bio Sciences, particularly as they relate to homeland security, defense and intelligence efforts. There are over 40 private high-tech employers and 30 public agencies and support operations near the center, which is just 25 miles south of the Capital Beltway.

“The education provided by the center will give employees the skills sought after by the kind of businesses that bring jobs with higher salaries. In turn, that strengthens the local tax base,” said Supervisor Paul Milde, Aquia District, and chairman of the Board’s Community and Economic Development Committee. “Over time, having our own research and technology park provides opportunities for partnerships between private industry and academia. The community and our local schools will be enhanced by these types of activities occurring in Stafford.”

The Board of Supervisors has worked diligently to transform Boswell’s Corner. This work began more than a decade ago with the conversion of an old ball field into what is today Quantico Corporate Center, one of the region’s premier office parks. The Board has also successfully sought and won grant monies for preliminary engineering and design for an eventual Route 1 widening; advocated for Defense Access Road monies to improve the Telegraph Road and Route 1 intersection; approved a Redevelopment Master Plan for the area; increased the Floor Area Ratio to allow for a more dense build-out of real estate; and executed MOA/MOUs with public and private institutions to advance the creation of an atmosphere conducive to technology and research park build-out. The Board has also worked with the Association of University Research Parks to craft a vision, mission and the beginnings of a business plan, which will soon lead to a chartered organization.

Specifically, MOUs have led to the donation of two acres of land to the County, and to the appointment of the center’s Interim Executive Director, Dr. Dennis McBride of George Mason University’s Office of Research and Economic Development, among other things.

Supervisor Jack Cavalier, Griffis-Widewater, said, “Stafford has for almost a century supported the cause of the Marine Corps and our national defense. We believe this next step will further demonstrate Stafford’s commitment to the cause of freedom by providing a place that is closer to home for critical national security-related research to take place – just off base.”

The Board of Supervisors signed a Memorandum of Understanding with George Mason University, the University of Mary Washington, and Germanna Community College to provide classes at the center in 2010. Classes start this month.