CHEYENNE – Nanomaterials Discovery Corporation (NDC) and Cheyenne LEADS announced this evening that NDC will be expanding Cheyenne’s high-tech industry.  NDC will spend over $6 million and create over 50 jobs in Laramie County over the next few years while bringing in associated opportunities for further expansion of the Laramie County high-tech industry.

“We are very excited that NDC has chosen Cheyenne for expansion, not only because they are bringing in high paying technical, professional and manufacturing positions, but they are offering Cheyenne further opportunities for high-tech growth,” said Randy Bruns, Cheyenne LEADS CEO.  Bruns explained that the NDC project has three phases, the first is a specialized laboratory in the Cheyenne Business Parkway east of Cheyenne to house NDC.  In Phase II addition specialized laboratory space will be constructed to be available to similar companies.  In Phase III a third wing will be built to house additional high-tech firms.

NDC will begin construction of Phase I within a few months and hopes to be in operation in Cheyenne in late 2006. Phase II is LEADS’ portion of the building and will be constructed concurrently with Phase I if the Wyoming Business Council approves a Business Ready Community Grant for this project. The City Council and LEADS have approved the project and have submitted the grant application to the WBC.  LEADS, as the owner of the Phase II section of the building, will have the ability to tailor the specialized spaces to future prospects’ needs.

“The initial 20 jobs will be professional and technical positions.  Within 18 months we will be hiring 20 to 30 for the manufacturing positions,” said Don Montgomery, NDC’s President. “We are an expanding mid-size company that has grown too large for the type of technology space that is available in the state. NDC and Wyoming require a facility with high-tech infrastructure and Cheyenne is well situated to meet that need.  A special thanks also has to be given to US Senator Enzi and his efforts to bring technology to Wyoming.”

“This announcement is an outgrowth of initiatives between the University of Wyoming and the Wyoming Business Council,” stated Bruns.  “It reflects the growing cooperation among Wyoming communities and organizations to leverage the unique strength that each can bring to the project.  It illustrates, once again, the value of a strong UW to the entire state.”

Cheyenne LEADS is a member-supported private non-profit corporation devoted to bringing jobs and economic opportunity to Laramie County.  LEADS serves as the Economic Development entity for the City of Cheyenne and for Laramie County, Wyoming.

Nanomaterials Discovery Corporation (NDC) was founded in 2003 to commercialize mature technologies and intellectual property developed by the Blue Sky Group Inc. of Laramie, Wyoming.  NDC’s patented high throughput screening technology and its highly parallel NanoAccess system produces and tests thousands of new nanomaterials every week.  NDC uses state-of-the-art software to manage and to analyze the flood of information produced by the NanoAccess system.  NDC’s nanotechnology development efforts are focused on fuel cell technologies, rechargeable battery technologies, OLED and flat panel display technologies and carbon nanotube composite materials.

-END-