Exceptional Spectacular

a supplement of In Business magazine
Exceptional
Quality,
Spectacular
Setting
for Business
Imagine a commercial setting where people,
profession, and prairie coexist, and where attention to detail
pertains to everything from sustainable building construction to
the preservation of springs and wetlands, prairies, and woods.
Imagine a place where your employees can live, work, and even
play with nature trails, convenient retail, established business
organizations, a nationally recognized child care center, and
access to nearby dining – all anchored by one of Wisconsin’s
scientific success stories.
In other words, it’s a genuine convergence of community and
business life. Then imagine it’s right in your own back yard.
Designed as a high-tech business park, Fitchburg Center is
such a place, especially for companies looking for an ideal setting
to relocate and begin a new chapter in business excellence. With
a commitment to economic and environmental stewardship,
Fitchburg Center stands apart for established companies
that want to build a new headquarters on one of its available
commercial lots.
Find out what’s on the horizon for Fitchburg Center,
where doing business with a sense of community and
collaborative support is a part of the equation.
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u
www.fitchburgcenter.com
T
he dynamism of Fitchburg
Center is still unfolding within
its 400-plus acres of office,
retail, residential, and nature.
Genuine human interaction among the
1,700 professional people who work here
complements the social networking made
possible by wireless technology. The faceto-face connectivity with each other and
nature is good for businesses interested in
thriving in a community campus.
At the Center, commerce and
conservation not only converge, they
interact in a spirit of mutual dependence. Its
commercial bonafides start with Promega
Corp., a global biotechnology innovator
which has five buildings on the Center
campus. Promega is not only an influential
player on the scientific world stage; it has
been instrumental in Fitchburg Center’s
sustainable development vision.
Bill Linton, General Partner, Fitchburg
Center, emphasizes the importance of
developing buildings that stand the test of
time – literally. Every architect or developer
that has worked on the Fitchburg Center
project has heard Linton tell them to build
something that will be recognizable in its
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A blue heron visits one of the Center’s Ponds. Inset: The BioPharmaceutical Technology Center.
present form hundreds of years from now.
This emphasis on lasting legacy is inspired
by historic structures in Europe and Asia
that have maintained their visual integrity
for centuries.
Although the business concept behind
Fitchburg Center has been successful,
profitability is not the sole focus. Leaving
a legacy of community, rather than
haphazard growth, is a prime consideration
for founders that were ahead of the curve in
their thinking.
“The primary focus is on how much we
can do to support a community that is going
to both appreciate and enjoy the benefits of
this vision for the next 200 years,” Linton
said. “We talk about that very deliberately
in terms of time because that is, in fact, the
way we see it. We won’t be here, but our
children and our great grandchildren will
be.”
A SENSE OF COMMUNITY
Many people think of Fitchburg Center
as Promega’s development, but it really is
the brainchild of the late Johan Bjorksten,
and business partner Bill Linton. Its
communal philosophy was formed in 1983,
when Linton formed a partnership with
Bjorksten. When they began, the land that
now encompasses Fitchburg Center was
mostly corn fields, but growing a community
in the fullest sense was more important than
merely owning land and selling lots. At
that time, the City really didn’t have a place
where people could come together and feel
as though they were in Fitchburg. To help
develop a sense of community, Fitchburg
Center has been responsive to companies
that want to relocate here and remain true
to the Center’s design principles. That
has contributed to a better look and feel
for those who work and shop in the park,
not only through building materials but
also through important considerations
like rain-water management, in which
a system of detention basins and swales
allows for infiltration of water back into
area wetlands.
“Over time, those kinds of things have
become more visible and more tangibly
important to people and businesses in this
area,” Linton said.
In Linton’s view, the Center has far
surpassed some of its early visions of
commerce and community, while resisting
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pressure to develop the Center too quickly.
“The businesses that have come in have
tended to be larger, more economically
sustained because they were simply more
mature as businesses,” Linton said, citing
Bruker AXS, CDW Corp. (formerly
Berbee Information Networks), and the
Credit Union Executives Society (CUES).
“They have been able to build buildings
that reflect their economic stability.”
Thanks to that stability, Fitchburg Center
is home to a business support system that
features Woods Hollow Children’s Center,
SprintPrint, a UW Health Clinic, service
retail and other social activities. In addition
to those, there is a civic core of vitality
with the Fitchburg City Hall, Community
Center, the Senior Center, and soon the
Fitchburg Public Library.
Activities at Fitchburg Center reflect
important societal trends. In the spring,
summer, and fall, the Center hosts a
farmer’s market that has become a Thursday
afternoon tradition for aficionados of locally
produced foods. The communal appeal of
the farmer’s market is augmented by the
Agora Art Fair, the Berbee Derby, and the
Promega Art Showcases.
In Greek, the word Agora means
“gathering place,” and this spirit is evident
in several other Fitchburg Center buildings.
For the past 16 years, between 2,500
and 3,000 Wisconsin grade school and
high school students have come through
Promega’s BioPharmaceutical Technology
Center and donned lab coats for a real,
hands-on taste of science, education,
and business – an intellectual exercise
that complements the mission of nearby
Eagle School, another resident of the
development.
Adding to the Center’s diverse community
is HospiceCare, Inc., which chose to locate
its state-of-the-art inpatient facility and
administrative headquarters here after the
careful consideration of many locations
throughout Greater Madison. “Fitchburg
Center provides a peaceful, wooded setting
that is conveniently located by the Beltline
and other major thoroughfares, as well as
hotels, restaurants, and other business often
utilized by visitors,” said Susan Phillips,
president/CEO of HospiceCare.
of Madison clinic, and the new, 38,000square-foot public library will add more
community dimension to an area in which
100 acres have been set aside for trail ways,
wetlands, and woodlands. This stewardship
includes a prairie swale that is a centerpiece
of the business park. Visible from several of
the Fitchburg Center sites, and accessible to
all, it helps retain storm water and protect
native vegetation and wildlife corridors.
The prairie once was about 30% smaller,
but it was expanded because, aesthetically,
Center management felt it necessary to
“make it an amenity, as well as serve a
civil engineering function,” according to
Bill Dalrymple, Managing Director of
Fitchburg Center. “There are wooded lots
that could be cut down – but we protect them
because they provide important sources of
groundwater to the natural springs in the
wetlands to the north,” Dalrymple said.
Employees tell of witnessing the ecology
in action from their offices, including one
account of a Blue Heron flying past, landing
at a pond, and picking fish right out it. “It
speaks to the natural setting we enjoy,” said
Steven Leverentz, Director of Finance and
Marketing for Fitchburg Center.
Concern for issues like urban stormwater
runoff control, groundwater protection,
and landscape restoration are married to
environmental building and construction
criteria, including energy efficient building
design. Walnut trees that were removed
to make room for new roads have not
only been replaced with trees planted
elsewhere, but the wood from those trees
has been harvested and used in building
construction.
Fitchburg Center’s business partners
have been invaluable in helping to maintain
its standards. Strang, Inc., a Madison-based
architectural, engineering, and interior
design company, in collaboration with
Kraemer Brothers, a construction services
firm, has met or exceeded the Center’s
design standards on the Agora and other
buildings. And through their dedication
to native landscaping and ongoing
improvements, Yakshi Landscapes blended
an Asian design concept to the overall ecocharacter of Fitchburg Center.
ECOLOGY IN ACTION
With the conviction that good
stewardship is good business, Fitchburg
Center is a remarkable setting in which
to work. Businesses thinking of relocation
have four attractive commercial lots (see u
Even though much development has
already occurred, the best is yet to come.
Plans for Chapel Valley Community
Church, a new Children’s Dental Center
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DOING BUSINESS
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http://www.fitchburgcenter.com/commercial/
availablelots.htm) to choose from, including
Lot 3, a 7-acre parcel (5505 E. Cheryl
Parkway) located in a City of Fitchburg
Tax Incremental Finance (TIF) District
and adjacent to the Fitchburg City Hall/
Community Center and the site of the
future City of Fitchburg Library.
Lot 3, a parcel large enough for a 120,000square-foot building, would be ideal for a
new business headquarters, especially for a
high-tech or biotechnology company.
Next door is Lot 2, a three-acre mixeduse site that could be acquired along with
Lot 3 (with city approval) for the purpose
of developing both as a 10-acre parcel.
Not far away is lot 13 (5500 Research
Park Dr.), a 1.5-acre parcel that overlooks
a planned development district which
includes a seven-acre prairie and the Agora
office/retail complex. With beautiful views
of the Capitol from a ridge to the north and
other natural amenities in close proximity,
the site allows for some flexibility in use.
Finally, we have Lot 18 (5535 E. Cheryl
Parkway), which has excellent proximity
and visibility to Fish Hatchery Road, as
well as dual-access options. With just a
short walk to the UW Health Clinic, Agora
retail, and soon the new Library, this lot is
a very interesting option for a number of
business sectors.
In addition to these commercial
opportunities, there is the potential for
condominium development with a mixture
of office and specialty retail across from
Woods Hollow Children’s Center, looking
right down the Center’s prairie swale.
Another adjoining lot, part of a 10-acre
parcel the Center controls with another
company, has been penciled in for a
community conferencing facility.
Newcomers can join established
businesses like Promega and retailers like
Bilancio Eyewear, Ecco Salon, Sprint Print,
Café Continental, and Kneaded Relief Day
Spa with leasing opportunities available in
the Agora. No “big box,” just a community
of like-minded businesses that collectively
employ more than 1,700 people.
For Lisa Cuda-McCarron, owner of
Bilancio Eyewear, it’s easy to explain why
a company would locate here. CudaMcCarron, a retailer in the Agora complex,
said that when she was looking for retail
space to rent, she knew that something
unique was an absolute must, and that the
typical mall or strip-mall platform wasn’t
the image she was looking for.
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Fitchburg Center Farmers Market bustles every Thursday
“The outside of the building needed
to complement the interior space I was
envisioning,” she explained. “The Agora
at Fitchburg Center has a presence which
reflects an attention to detail that is hard to
find in Madison. This grand appearance was
the right choice for my optical shop. The
beauty that surrounds you has an effect on
my customers – they love the atmosphere!
“Once they’ve been here, they all
comment on what a treat it is to visit the
Center.”
As a retailer, Cuda-McCarron also
appreciates the fact that the Agora at
Fitchburg Center always has something
going on – from the Art Fair to the Farmer’s
Market – to foster the best possible worklife balance. “The future here is exciting,”
she noted, “and I’m thrilled to be a part of
it.”
ON THE HORIZON
Part of the future environment is a new
Fitchburg Library, now under development
on the Fitchburg Center campus. Center
management views the city of Fitchburg as
a valued partner in several areas, particularly
the development of the new, $14 million
public library, the latest edition to the civic
part of the Center campus. In the interest
of information access for all, the dedicated
work of a number of passionate volunteers
from every sector of the community really
came together in this grass-roots initiative.
The existing civic campus soon became the
best choice in which to make this dream
a reality. Partnering with the City and
the Library Board made for an extremely
forward-focused project.
City Engineer Paul Woodard noted the
Center staff ’s all-encompassing role in a
library design that incorporates sustainable
features like geothermal heating and
cooling. Woodard stated that Center staff
and Focus on Energy helped the city come
up with best design, not only from an
aesthetic standpoint, but from the vantage
point of longevity. The result, he predicts,
will be a long-lasting building the city can
be proud of.
“They’ve been very helpful,” Woodard
said. “Besides the Fitchburg Center staff,
they also have a team of outside experts
on their Review Committee consisting
of professional architects and landscape
consultants and a storm-water expert. So
between all three of those, it works well to
have all that expertise in one room.”
According to Woodard, it was Bill
Linton who encouraged the new library’s
geothermal approach to heating and
cooling, but the Center staff was and is an
outstanding resource on questions related to
building materials and outside landscaping
(primarily native species, prairie grasses,
and perennials).
As far as the library structure itself,
the designers are going for a Leadership u
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Good Company
in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) “Gold” building, with structured
parking, low-flow toilet fixtures, a white
roof to help reflect the sun, a mix of brick
and stone panels, and radiant floor heating
on both the main and upper floors.
With 41 underground parking stalls,
the new library will fit the definition of an
urban infill site, but more than that, it will
fulfill the Center’s technology commitment.
Among the library’s technology amenities
are provisions for wireless cellular phone
coverage and wireless Internet throughout
the building. Library patrons will be able
to check out laptops and enjoy wireless
Internet access as they either sit outside in
a reading garden, or take a spot within the
building – another service that a Fitchburg
Center company can cite when trying to
recruit quality workers.
By working with Fitchburg Center staff,
“We ended up with a better design than we
would have if we had designed it ourselves,”
Woodard said. “They really pushed us hard
to come up with the best design.”
Attractive commercial opportunities
aren’t the only reason to locate here. Business
owners could find a new business home and
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a real new home. Cinque Terre, the Center’s
planned residential development, is named
for an historic residential community built
into a picturesque Italian cliff that overlooks
the Mediterranean Sea. In Fitchburg, the
development features different natural
amenities, such as tranquil woods and a
wetland conservancy.
With energy efficient features like a
geothermal wells and solar collectors to
go with sustainable design materials, the
homes will blend nicely into the wooded
setting. Would-be homeowners and
their contractors will design and build
rectangular residences on circular lots amid
tranquil environs. Fitchburg Center hopes
to mimic Italy’s Cinque Terre as far as its
goal of protecting the natural environment
and the socio-economic development
compatible with the natural landscape of
the area.
COLLABORATIVE SUPPORT
A number of Fitchburg Center’s business
collaborators have been instrumental in
the Center’s evolution. Even in this tight
credit market, financial partners like M&I
Bank, Oak Bank, and Smith & Gesteland
continue to lend support, managing
Center assets and ensuring its stability
and longevity. The construction of stateof-the-art buildings has been executed
with the attention to detail of Kraemer
Brothers, which has brought its expertise
to several buildings on campus, including
the Biopharmaceutical Technology Center,
Bruker AXS, and the Agora. In a similar
vein, Madison Gas & Electric has worked
to ensure the best utility infrastructure is in
place for the existing commercial core, and
for future technological progress.
But the prime mover is Promega
Corporation, which appreciates the Center’s
sustainable platform, employee retention
and recruitment advantages, and sense of
community. Penny Patterson, director of
corporate relations for Promega, references
Promega’s growth to more than 1,000
worldwide, and suggests there’s a level of
flexibility and opportunity at Fitchburg
Center. Growth has come in every aspect
of the business over the last three decades
– from research and development to
manufacturing.
According to Patterson, employees
appreciate the Center’s accessibility on
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several levels. First, it’s easy to get to both
Madison and surrounding communities;
second, for a number of Promega employees,
it’s easy for them to bike to work via the
Capital City Trail and other bike paths
in the company’s backyard. Moreover,
there is a meaningful sense of community
contribution here, with one of the most
visible examples being sustainable practice.
Patterson calls it “a real sense of place,”
with amenities like the prairie swale and
architecture that’s designed to integrate with
the landscape. These features demonstrate
the kind of thoughtful development that is
a point of pride and delight for Promega
employees, she said, and it’s impressive
to visiting customers and prospective
employees.
“For Promega, it’s a natural fit because
Fitchburg Center seems to echo our
values of quality work, creative thinking,
sustainability, and work/life balance,”
she said. “Maybe it’s the wildlife, the
trails around the ponds, or the weekly
farmer’s market, but there’s something
here that makes Fitchburg Center a great
place to grow your business, take care of
your employees, and be involved in the
community.”
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