In March, Echo Development Corp. announced a new 16-acre business park to be located adjacent to Vandemark Road on the west side of Sidney.

At the time of the announcement, Tim Echemann, of Industrial Property Brokers, who is managing the marketing of the business park, said, "This is a tremendous opportunity for our community. In spite of the current slow economy, Echo Development is taking this bold step because it believes that an economic rebound is inevitable and with that rebound will come growth and expansion for Sidney. Echo Business Center will be ready to accept those new businesses as they begin to emerge."

In recent weeks, ground in the new industrial park has been broken for the first business. 75 Development LLC, of Troy, is the building owner/developer, and Weigandt Development Ltd., of Minster, has been hired as the general contractor to design and construct the new 4,200-square-foot building that is expected to be completed in late February.

Area Wireless of Sidney will move from its current location at 675 N. Vandemark Road, to occupy 2,700 square feet of the new building. The new office location will provide Area Wireless with much needed additional floor space, a state of the art cell phone repair lab, a larger retail display area as well as improved customer parking.

The remaining 1,500 square feet will be available for lease and can be expanded to accommodate a business needing up to 6,000 square feet, Stan Bender, of 75 Development LLC, said.

"We share the belief that this is a great site for business development in Sidney," Bender said. "Traffic count is high in the area, and it is also conveniently accessible to I-75."

The new design by Weigandt Development for the Area Wireless building will set the architectural tone for the business park, Echemann said.

Concurrent with the building construction, Echo Development is finishing a new road within the business park that could eventually link up with Folkerth Avenue to the east of the park.

"It is great to have such a high quality company like Area Wireless be the first new business in the Echo Business Center," Echemann said. "IPB is looking forward to marketing the adjacent building space as well and is also offering one- to 14-acre sites within the industrial park for sale or for build to suit."

Commenting on the new Echo Business Center and its potential for Sidney, City Manager Steve Stilwell said, "It is exciting to see the expansion of corporate opportunities in that part of Sidney. The proximity of State Route 47 and the I-75 corridor should trigger further investment in the near future."

For more information about Echo Business Center, businesses and individuals are encouraged to contact Echemann, Industrial Property Brokers, 492-4423.

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