News release issued March 26, 2001, effective immediately.
For media inquiries, contact Caroline Booth Lara, Communications Specialist, (580) 224-6379.
  email: cblara@noble.org

Foundation construction under way

ARDMORE — Travelers on Sam Noble Parkway during the past six months couldn’t help but notice the 165-foot crane dominating the skyline of the Noble Foundation’s campus. Within the past few months several new "towers" have risen above the adjacent roofs, evidence that a major construction project is under way.

In fact, construction is approximately 25 percent complete on a 48,000 square-foot laboratory and office building, the first of several new construction projects slated for completion during the next five years at the Ardmore-based Foundation.

The new facility, named "LabLink," will include three aboveground floors and a full basement. The building will house employees from the Foundation’s Plant Biology Division and "satellite" offices for several other Foundation departments. The new facility is scheduled for completion by early next year, weather permitting.

"Our Plant Biology Division has achieved much over the past 10 years by contributing greatly to the body of knowledge relating to plant science," said Michael Cawley, Noble Foundation president. "Because of their success, they have had opportunities to expand the depth and breadth of their programs.

"Our Board of Trustees believes that their investment in the Plant Biology Division has been rewarding and merits further investment," Cawley added. "This necessitated the creation of additional laboratory and office space to accommodate the anticipated growth. Over the next ten years we expect the employee count in the Plant Biology Division to cap out at approximately 150 people. Today the Division has 95 employees."

Preliminary ground work has also begun on a 35,000 square-foot greenhouse expansion project slated for completion in 2002 to accommodate increasing the greenhouse needs of the Foundation’s Plant Biology, Forage Biotechnology and Agriculture divisions.

"We’re going to be growing from 10,000 square feet to a total of a little more than an acre of greenhouse space, so we’re quadrupling in size," said Tom Wallace, greenhouse manager for the Foundation. "Part of the new greenhouse space will be even more technologically advanced than what we have now in terms of environmental control capabilities."

An even more ambitious project from a construction difficulty and sophistication standpoint is the planned construction of a utility services center, which will house back-up electrical generators, boilers and chillers. A 10-foot square, 2,000 foot-long tunnel will underlie the campus and will house the infrastructure that will link the utility facility to the other buildings.

The need for an on-site power center was exemplified during the December ice storm when the Foundation experienced several relatively brief power outages. Prolonged power interruptions could have caused the greenhouse temperatures and lighting to drop below acceptable levels, potentially damaging or wiping out thousands of sensitive plants.

"We currently have generators scattered in different locations, but we see a need to locate those in a central facility to better monitor and coordinate what we do," explained Bob Geurin, facilities/construction manager. "We’ll actually have double redundancy for our high priority areas. We’ll also have both diesel and natural gas generators, so we can use either in case of a major fuel supply interruption, such as a tornado in the area."

Construction is scheduled to begin in late spring or early summer of this year.

"We will have four or five major projects under way simultaneously beginning by mid- to late summer," Geurin added. "We’re currently building a new construction entrance to the Foundation to divide the traffic in a safer way. We’ll have as many as 200 to 300 construction workers on site at any given time, so caution is advised for both pedestrian and vehicular traffic in the area."

The continuing growth of the Foundation’s Forage Biotechnology Group will necessitate the construction of a two-story, 45,000 square-foot laboratory and office facility.

"When our Board approved the creation of the Forage Biotechnology Group approximately four years ago (having its primary purpose the development of a cool season, perennial forage grass for area cattle producers), we allocated to them some old laboratory space that was not currently used," Cawley explained. "As their efforts have increased, their offices and labs have been temporary and makeshift quarters, which are scattered literally all over the campus. It is imperative that this group be provided their own laboratory/office building. I am particularly pleased that our campus will accommodate the location of the new Forage Building in close proximity to plant biology, agriculture, library, cafeteria, administrative offices and the greenhouse."

"What is taking place at the Noble Foundation campus on the east side of Ardmore today is the result of detailed and critical program review and campus and facilities master planning that have been ongoing for over a year," Cawley explained.

Cawley noted that while the Agricultural Division has been in existence for over 50 years, during which time the division’s capital, employee and operating needs have received close attention, the programs of the Plant Biology Division and the Forage Biotechnology Group are not nearly as mature — plant biology being a little over 10 years old and forage biotech being a little over four years old.

"The nature of these operations is that you are careful about incurring considerable capital outlay for expensive laboratories, offices and greenhouses until you are comfortable that the programs merit such an investment," Cawley said. "Our plant programs have matured to the point that the merit of ongoing support for them, including the needed capital outlays, is understood and appropriate."

The construction of the new facilities will "free up" some current buildings for future Agriculture Division expansion, he added.

The Noble Foundation was started by Lloyd Noble because of his interest in agriculture. The Foundation’s pursuit of that interest continues today. Cawley said that the Noble Foundation’s approach to the agriculture issues — plant biology, forage biotechnology and agriculture consultation, demonstration and research — is unique to the private foundation world.

"Our uniqueness is becoming more and more evident to the outside world," Cawley said. "The interest in all of our work seems to increase daily.

Cawley is quick to point out that none of this would be possible absent the insightful vision and generosity of Lloyd Noble and the courage, generosity and persistence of his family in their direction of the Board of Trustees.

"Today the Noble Foundation employs approximately 270 people," Cawley added. "Our forecasting indicates that in ten years our employee headcount will grow to 410. This is indicative, I believe, of the quality of the programs and people associated with the Foundation. There is considerable excitement at Foundation about what the future has in store."

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Photos: Construction Photo 1 60k | Construction Photo 2 67k

The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, headquartered in Ardmore, Okla., is a non-profit organization conducting agricultural, forage biotechnological, and plant biology research; providing grants to numerous non-profit charitable, educational and health organizations; and assisting farmers and ranchers through educational and consultative agricultural programs.

To learn more, check out the Noble Foundation Web site at http://www.noble.org.

More news releases available at www.noble.org/Press_Release