St. Louis, Missouri
April 14, 2009
Bio-Research & Development Growth
(BRDG) Park at the Danforth Plant Science Center, which will
open in June 2009 the first of three buildings for plant and
life sciences research companies, announced that
Divergence,
Inc. will be one of the largest tenants.
Designed to help fledgling companies "bridge" research,
resources and relationships to achieve commercial success, the
BRDG-Park development ultimately will encompass about 400,000
square feet of space on the Danforth Center campus in suburban
St. Louis County. "In a very tough real estate and economic
marketplace, BRDG Park stands out for already leasing over 60
percent of its first building prior to opening," said Sam
Fiorello, President of BRDG Park.
A world leader in developing products for the control of
parasites in agriculture and medicine, Divergence has signed a
lease for 11,000 sq. ft. in the first 110,000 sq. ft.,
four-story facility. Divergence, whose research breakthroughs
show strong promise of developing a safe, effective solution for
farmers to combat parasites that reduce the yields of many
crops, graduated last year from the Nidus Center for Scientific
Enterprise, a business incubator, where it occupied 4,500 sq.
ft. of space.
According to Derek Rapp, Chief Executive Officer of Divergence,
in addition to state-of-the-art wet lab and office space, BRDG
Park's location on the Danforth Plant Science Center's campus
and across the street from Monsanto's world headquarters was a
determining factor. The location will provide Divergence's
scientists convenient access to the most technologically
advanced greenhouse, growth chamber, microscopy, proteomics and
tissue transfer facilities. It also will facilitate numerous
ongoing opportunities to interact with top scientists from
around the world, including those who work at the Danforth
Center and those attending seminars and symposia.
"With a company culture that encourages close interaction among
our team of approximately 25 scientists, we also wanted a space
that would provide maximum efficiency and comfort with private
offices near benches, benches with desks located close to
windows, and flexible areas for meetings and a break room," said
Rapp. "BRDG Park took the time to focus on the details that are
important to us and figure out the most cost-effective solutions
to achieve our goals."
"Because St. Louis is a leading center for plant sciences, we
were able to compare locations before deciding that BRDG Park
offered the most advantages," said Rapp. Divergence's move to
BRDG Park comes shortly after its recent announcement that it
has raised $11.8 million in a Series C financing round, more
than doubling the amount of equity capital raised by the company
since its inception in 1999.
Divergence, Inc., a world leader in the application of
genomics and informatics to agriculture and infectious disease,
discovers and develops products for the safe and effective
control of parasites. The company's initial focus is on
parasitic nematodes, devastating unseen pests that cause
billions of dollars in crop loss annually and widespread disease
in humans and animals. For more information visit Divergence's
Web site at
www.divergence.com.
About BRDG Park at the Danforth Center
Located in suburban St. Louis County, Missouri, widely regarded
as a global leader in plant and life science research, the
Bio-Research & Development Growth (BRDG) Park at the Danforth
Plant Science Center helps fledgling plant and life science
companies bridge research, resources and relationships to
achieve commercial success. In addition to providing world-class
wet laboratories, office space and a prominent incubator, BRDG
Park's location on the Danforth Center's campus facilitates
access to the intellectual capital of top scientists, as well as
to technologically advanced greenhouse, growth chambers,
microscopy and proteomics facilities and other vital resources.
More information is available at
www.BRDG-Park.com.
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