News Release
June 28, 2012
Cedar Valley of Iowa
Premier Business Class Hotel to Fly Flag Over The Green@TechWorks
Hawkeye Community College ‘Green’ Programs Locate at TechWorks
Today, TechWorks Campus, a division of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber, together with Financial District Properties (FDP) revealed the hotel and management company to crown the six floors of the Tech 2 building. Simultaneously, they also announced a commitment from Hawkeye Community college to locate green technology classrooms and laboratories on the campus as well. Both announcements represent significant steps in the continued progress of developing The Green@TechWorks project.
View a video of announcement here.
The hotel will cater to the modern business traveler and event attendees with a design that accentuates the campus theme, mixing industrial history with advanced technologies. Amenities at similar hotel properties include an indoor pool and state-of-the-art fitness and spa facility. Sophisticated rooms equipped with Internet access, flat-screen TVs and lavish bath amenities are expected at the Waterloo location as well.
The Green project developer, FDP, selected The Amin Group, a leading national hotel management and real estate development company, as the hotel operator because of its success in similar projects and locations including the management of the Radisson on the John Deere Commons in Moline, IL.
Managing Partner Mike Amin of the Amin Group, shared comments at the announcement and was accompanied by three other members of The Amin Group management team. Over the last 25 years Mike has guided the company’s growth and diverse portfolio of properties including hotels, commercial and retail developments, residential projects, lounges and restaurants. Brands represented include Radisson and Wyndham products, Best Western, Hilton Garden Inn, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Homewood Suites, Double Tree Hotels, LaQuinta Inn and Suites, as well as boutique and independent operations. These properties vary in size, revenues and operational complexity.
Impact
Aaron Buzza, Executive Director Waterloo Convention & Visitors Bureau, commented on the significance of the hotel announcement, “The new hotel at TechWorks is an incredibly exciting development for downtown Waterloo. The hotel will add to the supply of hotel rooms in Waterloo, but the hotel flag adds a unique product that isn’t currently available. With the activities on the TechWorks Campus, we see the impact of this hotel being significant.”
Hawkeye Community College ‘Green’ Programs Locate at TechWorks
Hawkeye Community College also announced their plans to locate classrooms and labs at The Green @ TechWorks to accommodate two new green curriculum offerings– the Alternative Energy Technologies Training & Education Program and the proposed Sustainable Construction Program.
“Hawkeye Community College is thrilled to be a part of the TechWorks campus project. The physical space for our two new programs is still in design, but these programs are in perfect alignment with the Green technologies focus of the TechWorks Campus.” commented Linda Allen –President, Hawkeye Community College. In implementing its vision for The Green project, Financial District Properties has made a commitment to renovate the Tech II building to at least a gold level of LEED certification. The development team is pleased that Hawkeye Community College recognizes and supports the educational opportunities that will be created by learning and using “green” technologies in a “green” and sustainable environment.
The Green & Overall Project
The Green@TechWorks is part of the larger 43 acre TechWorks campus. In addition to the Tech l and Tech II buildings (formerly John Deere Westfield R & C2) the campus includes parcels suitable for larger scale manufacturing facilities. TechWorks is the first technology park of its kind in the Iowa to combine world class business amenities within a Brownfield industrial redevelopment project. The campus will also integrate a unique renewable energy generation system that promotes “green” energy technologies.
Other projects already announced as part of the $50 million capital investment at The Green include a John Deere Regional Training Center and a Wasendorf owned fine dining restaurant. Concurrently, adjacent to the TechWorks Campus, the John Deere Waterloo Tractor & Engine Museum is nearing construction with a projected opening for Spring, 2013. UNI’s National Ag-Based Lubricants Center established operations in Tech I nearly three years ago.
Construction of The Green @ TechWorks Campus is scheduled to begin this fall with a projected hotel opening in late 2013 – early 2014.
NEXT STEPS
Steve Dust, President & CEO of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance, Chamber and TechWorks is pleased with the progress and positioning. “The pieces of the TechWorks Campus are coming together right on schedule. Our efforts, along with the statewide push to position Iowa as a bio research and technology hub is paying off. FDP and The Amin Group would not have come here unless they too recognized the Cedar Valley as a region positioned for tremendous economic growth. Their confidence, and the support of higher education partners like Hawkeye Community College and others, is an endorsement of the ambitious vision of this project. There are more exciting announcements like this come! ”