DEMOCRAT
SOUTH BEND
Under Luecke’s guidance, South Bend is discovering a high-tech future
With Metronet and ‘tech park’, city has infrastructure for new investment, good jobs
South Bend, Ind. — Fresh from the Oct. 4 grand opening of the new $12 million PEI Genesis worldwide production facility on Cleveland Road, Mayor Steve Luecke said South Bend already is discovering a new economic future, building on a foundation set by the Metronet and the forthcoming technology park.
The three-term Democratic incumbent said the city’s unrivaled investment in key infrastructure has positioned South Bend at the forefront for attracting clean, high-tech industries that offer good-paying jobs for both college-educated professionals and the city’s hard-working residents.
Under Luecke’s leadership, South Bend became the first U.S. city to install fiber optic lines in its underground steel conduit to create a 40-mile network of dark fiber with the capacity to move large amounts of data safely and securely. Known as the St. Joseph Valley Metronet, this infrastructure for the information superhighway gives South Bend businesses access, capacity and speed unrivaled by any other city of its size.
Innovation Park, a 12-acre certified technology park, will be built with seed money from the city along Edison Road near the University of Notre Dame to serve as an incubator for new, innovative businesses. The technology park is expected to help transform academic research into commercial products. As new companies grow in the tech park, they would be positioned to expand into larger facilities in Blackthorn or in the former Studebaker corridor.
“The City of South Bend today has positioned itself for the revolutionary changes that will impact commerce in the coming generation,” Luecke said. “South Bend is now the most affordable and accessible location for broadband services. The Metronet provides South Bend with the infrastructure to compete with much larger metropolitan areas for high-tech businesses. We are ready to serve demanding, data-centric businesses, including data centers, disaster-recovery facilities and businesses that need massive data storage with big pipe transmission needs. The Metronet is a key tool to strengthen job retention and attract new, high-paying, high-tech jobs.”
When Philadelphia-based PEI Genesis opened its new facility last week, the company chose a location that allowed it to tie into the Metronet. This spring, the Metronet played a key role in a Utah developer decision to invest $14 million to renovate the former Studebaker Administration building as a high-tech office.
“There is no greater symbol of South Bend’s 20th-century manufacturing heritage than the Studebaker Administration building. This landmark building will become a new symbol for the high-tech transformation that is occurring in South Bend today,” Luecke said. “The South Shore commuter line connects South Bend to downtown Chicago in just over two hours. But in the 21st century information age, it takes 2 milliseconds for that same trip. With the Metronet, we are strategically positioned to connect to major metropolitan areas, opening the door for business to expand dramatically in the future.”
But the Metronet is not just about the future. It already is having an impact today.
- Indiana University South Bend, using the Metronet, became the second regional campus in the IU system to connect to the I-LIGHT, an integrated high-speed network of the state’s leading universities.
- One local institution doubled its Internet capacity and quintupled its research broadband for the same price that it had paid before.
- Out-of-state companies are setting up redundant data storage sites in South Bend.
- Because of the Metronet, the speed of business in South Bend has accelerated. Printers are receiving large data files from clients. Medical institutions and universities are exchanging vital information.
- The Metronet has helped city government to do more with less. With numerous offices throughout the city, South Bend has been able to create a city-wide computer network linking buildings that previously were cost-prohibitive. Redundant loops provide 24/7 service in the event of damage. By working directly with Internet service providers, costs have decreased while bandwidth has increased.
“This robust system helps local businesses to be more efficient and creative. It also provides a platform for new businesses that need to push large amounts of data,” Luecke said. “This creative collaboration between the City of South Bend and seven private partners shows the can-do attitude in our community. Lighting this fiber network will provide a bright future for South Bend.”