UNLV announced today that the UNLV Research Foundation and Gardner Company entered into an agreement that taps Gardner as the master developer for the Research Foundation’s Harry Reid Research and Technology Park.
“This research park will play an important role in building on UNLV’s status as a world-class research institution, and I look forward to seeing this strong partnership bring the project to life,” said Sen. Harry Reid. “I thank the UNLV Research Foundation and Gardner Company for working so hard to make this project—and academic and economic benefits that come with it—a reality.”
The partnership represents a large leap forward in UNLV’s continued efforts to engage the Southern Nevada community and support a stronger state. “By building this world-class research park in our own backyard, we allow private-sector companies to not only observe the impacts our students, our research, our economic development makes, but become an integral part of them,” said UNLV President Len Jessup.
To advance its mission to support UNLV research and economic development in Southern Nevada, the UNLV Research Foundation accepted proposals from companies interested in building at the Harry Reid Research and Technology Park. Gardner Company was selected via a rigorous screening process, and longtime Nevada resident and Vice President of Development Dan Stewart will serve as Gardner’s representative on this project.
“Gardner has a wealth of expertise, having developed university-affiliated research parks in Utah and Idaho as well as live/work/play-based buildings that are both physically and functionally impressive. We’re thrilled to be working with them,” said Ted Quirk, chair of the UNLV Research Foundation.
“With projects like Huntsman Cancer Institute, Adobe, Thumbtack, StorageCraft, 1-800 CONTACTS, SolarCity, Visa, and Overstock.com under its belt, Gardner’s development of UNLV’s Research Park will ensure that this important gateway to collaboration between our community and UNLV stands out and becomes a point of pride among us all,” said Zach Miles, executive director of the UNLV Research Foundation and associate vice president for economic development at UNLV.
Construction on two buildings—a 100,000-square-foot space for tenant BriovaRx, a specialty pharmacy, and another building to expand American Preparatory Academy’s campus—began at the Research Park in 2015.
Gardner will begin work immediately to recruit additional tenants to the park. The master developer will also partner with the Research Foundation to build new specialized spaces that enable and promote research, economic development, and private-sector needs. Gardner will house its local office in the first office building it constructs. The UNLV Office of Economic Development will also move its offices to the park to plan as well as help build out resources that promote economic development in the form of startups, licensing, commercially sponsored research, and more.
“We are excited to be partnering with the UNLV Research Foundation on this important project,” said Mark Pace, project manager at Gardner. “We have been impressed with the expertise Ted Quirk, Gerry Bomotti, Zach Miles, Tim Snow, Perry Eiman, Chip Johnson, and others at the Research Foundation have brought to this collaboration. Working with these individuals makes an endeavor like this even more rewarding.”
About the UNLV Research Foundation
The UNLV Research Foundation is an affiliated foundation of the UNLV Foundation and a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation chartered in the state of Nevada. The mission of the foundation is to support UNLV research and to support economic development in Southern Nevada by developing and maintaining UNLV research and technology parks as perpetual assets to enhance intellectual, scientific, and financial growth for the university.
About Gardner Company
Gardner Company is a full-service real estate company specializing in the development of office, retail, industrial and medical buildings. Gardner Company was founded by CEO Kem C. Gardner, a prominent fixture in the Utah business community for more than 38 years. Gardner Company has one of the largest real estate portfolios in the region. The philosophy of Gardner Company is to build great relationships, which it achieves by partnering with people and companies with the highest of standards to benefit clients, the community, and the environment.
