Qbase expands into Springfield through unique collaboration

Focus on healthcare informatics and a new computer intelligence
platform to drive growth and regional opportunities

(February 26, 2007)

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Congressman Dave Hobson (OH-7) and Qbase CEO Bill Pardue today announced the company’s expansion into Springfield with a new facility that will house more than 100 employees. The expansion is central to a unique collaboration among public and private sector partners that promises to boost the Dayton Region’s and Ohio’s capabilities in the healthcare R&D and commercialization arena.

“Beyond high-value jobs and investment, this collaboration will help spur revitalization and community entrepreneurship in Springfield,” said Hobson. “Qbase has worked hard and effectively across our community during the past six months to bring these opportunities to Clark County.”

Qbase will expand its business beyond the current Greene County offices by opening a new division focused on healthcare informatics and also on development of a new computer intelligence platform.

Qbase will create high volume data-processing systems and analytics that assist in fields as varied as medical imaging and geo-spatial information, Pardue said. The operation opens this week in temporary quarters in downtown Springfield and plans to move into a new building being constructed for Qbase by Mills-Morgan Development at NextEdge Technology Park.

The collaboration is investing more than $15 million in the Springfield operations, beyond building construction. Qbase shareholders are committing approximately $7 million, The Turner Foundation $4 million and the City of Springfield and Clark County $500,000 through the Community Improvement Corporation.

The State of Ohio, through its Department of Development, has pledged up to $3.6 million in grants, tax credits and a low-interest loan, contingent upon State Controlling Board approval next month.

“We will create more than 100 jobs in Springfield during the next three years as we move current clients to the new computer platform and position ourselves to secure important new business,” said Pardue. “The average employee compensation package in Springfield is expected to total more than $90,000.”

More than 40 people will join the Qbase team in Springfield during the next year, Pardue said. Qbase currently employs 60 people in Greene County.

Another collaborator in the initiative is the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association.  “The initiative will help position Ohio as a national leader in the growing field of healthcare informatics,” said Bryan Bucklew, president and CEO of the hospital association. “The software applications on the platform will give healthcare providers new reporting systems to track and anticipate events affecting patient treatment and safety.”

In addition to GDAHA, other key participants are the University of Dayton Research Institute, Kettering Medical Center Network and Wittenberg University.

THE TECHNOLOGY
Qbase already has begun designing the computer intelligence platform for Springfield.

“This promises to be breakthrough technology,” said Gary Lustgarten, Network Director for Kettering Medical Center Network.  Lustgarten helped lead strategic development of the initiative. Kettering’s Wallace-Kettering Neuroscience Institute will participate in application development in Springfield as well as provide scientific expertise, especially centered on imaging of neurological disorders.

The Neuroscience Institute and Qbase are joined in a research collaborative that was envisioned and is co-chaired by the University of Dayton Research Institute, directed by John Leland.  “The computer-driven capability being designed by our joint team of researchers has great potential for applications across many markets,” Leland said.  He added that several aspects of the Springfield initiative should assist in attracting top scientists in aerospace medicine to Wright Patterson Air Force Base, as part of the Base Realignment and Closure process.

THE WORKFORCE
The Springfield initiative includes a comprehensive program for internships in technology, marketing, sales and other business and scientific disciplines. Institutions already participating in the program are Wittenberg, Central State University, Cedarville University, Clark State Community College, the University of Dayton, and Wright State University.

“One of the most exciting aspects of this program will be our ability to leverage this region’s expertise to build the curriculum of the future,” said Dr. Mark Erickson, president of Wittenberg. “While there are courses in the region relevant to healthcare informatics, we need a comprehensive effort that aligns directly with this rapidly growing field.”

State Sen. Steve Austria, District 10, pointed to Qbase’s Springfield initiative as an important part of the overall “knowledge transformation” focus that is central to Ohio’s Third Frontier Program.

Pardue thanked the Dayton Region’s state legislative delegation and Dayton Development Coalition for their support at the Department of Development and praised Congressman Hobson and The Turner Foundation for their leadership in building the collaboration.  “The Foundation’s work and Congressman Hobson were essential in creating the vision and getting the program jump-started,” Pardue said.

« Back to Qbase makes news.