By Matthew Stewart, The Daily Times
Pellissippi Place’s first tenant has moved in and secured its first customers.
Now, it’s time for ProNova Solutions to make its future.
“We see ourselves as a company that can inspire and raise awareness,” said President Joe Matteo. “You don’t have to go to California to be part of a leading, high-tech company. We’re excited to be here in this industrial park, in this environment.”
The medical services company received its certificate of occupancy on Jan. 7 and moved into its new commercialization facility on Jan. 13. Currently, 30 employees occupy the second floor.
“It’s a big pivot point for us,” Matteo said. “We’ve invested $20 million in this building and capital equipment to make the transition from product development to product manufacturing.”
Merit Construction spent nine months building a 55,000-square-foot facility in the 450-acre research and development park located at Pellissippi Parkway and Old Knoxville Highway in Alcoa. The facility, which is Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certified as a green building, has 30,000 square feet worth of assembly, research and development, and test space and 25,000 square feet worth of office space.
The assembly area has clerestory windows, allowing natural light to filter into the building and reducing utility cost, said Brian Pierce, Michael Brady Inc. vice president. Rooms are equipped with occupancy sensors as well.
The building’s lighting system is controlled online and tied into the Provision Center for Proton Therapy, Pierce said. Its heating, ventilating and air conditioning system is water-sourced, running off a boiler and chiller system.
In addition to being environmentally friendly, the facility offers the latest work place amenities. It has a basketball court, volleyball court and workout room on site.
The building has five office suites, serving a range of business, manufacturing, R&D and science staff. For the next seven months, staff will continue their migration from Provision Center for Proton Therapy in Knoxville. Nearly 100 employees will move into the facility by the end of August, 50 in April and 40 in August.
The company is scheduled this year to add 75 employees, mostly in production and installation service, Matteo said. Currently, it has 18 positions open and will fill additional positions throughout the year.
First customers
ProNova announced Tuesday its first two SC360 builds: SAM in Singapore and University of Oxford in England.
The SC360 is designed to redefine the future of cancer treatment by delivering a lower-cost, smaller, lighter and more energy-efficient proton therapy for cancer patients. The company is scheduled this year to build each customer’s system and deliver the products next year.
Employees are in the process of securing seven additional builds, Matteo said. They are in negotiations and will announce the customers when negotiations are finalized. The company is currently sized to produce 10 SC360 systems per year in its assembly area, Matteo said. The two-gantry system, which includes Fast Scanning IMPT technology with innovative dual-energy 3D imaging capability, merges leading edge pencil-beam delivery, and precision positioning to aid physicians and therapists in minimizing collateral damage to healthy tissue and maximizing dose to the tumor.
Employees will manufacture initially in stations, Matteo said. As the company’s operations become more advanced, staff will start to build in assembly.
Prospective customers will tour the facility and view the systems from a catwalk overlooking the bright white area. It allows work to continue without interruptions.
“In my opinion, it’s one of the building’s greatest features,” said Shannon Sapp, Merit Construction project manager. “The only word that comes to mind is ‘wow’ when you’re up there. It’s awe-inspiring. If the building looks this good without anything in it, you can only imagine what it will look like when they’re really underway.”
Five phases
The facility has five planned phases with the end goal of seven buildings. A total of nearly 200,000 square feet will be used at full build out, including 130,000 feet of office space and 60,000 feet of commercialization and research space.
“It was a challenge, but ProNova had a really detailed plan for us,” Pierce said. “Without that plan, we wouldn’t have been as effective. It helped us to be flexible in our design and meet their needs in terms of future infrastructure and manufacturing needs.”
“ProNova has always been more than a job,” Matteo said. “It’s a chance to create next-generation technology and produce significant advancements in cancer treatment. We’re excited to be at this point and look forward to the future.”