Flying High Again
An airbase that trained military pilots for World War II has become one of West Texas’ most prestigious and innovative technology centers.
by Michael Castellon
Editor’s Note: The following article appeared in the August 2008 issue of Fiscal Notes.
Knowledge sustains man’s flight through life, asserts a display at the U.S. Air Force Academy. So it’s appropriate that a dying air base could be converted into an instrument of science, innovation and training.
Situated just west of Lubbock and enclosed by the world’s biggest cotton patch, Reese Technology Center has become a textbook example of how to survive a military cutback.
Surrounding communities were stunned and saddened when the Pentagon announced the closure of Reese Air Force Base in 1995. The base generated a multimillion-dollar economic flow that would undoubtedly dry and crumble along with its hangars and office buildings.
The effect of the news was immediate. The roadside culture of the Levelland Highway, for example, which runs alongside the 2,500-acre base and its famously sprawling runways, began to feel like a fragmented dream from its 1950s heyday.
But in 1997 the Lubbock Reese Redevelopment Authority, made up of community members and business leaders, went into action to create a world-class center of innovation and research by recruiting tenants and designing a long-term master plan.
“Our goal has been to find people with specific needs that we can pair with our specific resources,” says Todd Reno, director of business development at Reese Technology Center.
In just more than a decade, Reese officials have come a long way toward transforming a shell of raw materials and resources into an inspiring technological center that houses 17 tenants. About 1,200 civilian jobs were lost when the base closed. The center, which is self-sufficient and accepts no public funding, today has created about 700 jobs that deliver an even larger economic footprint than before.
“The jobs created at Reese Center tend to be well paying, technical and professional positions,” Reno says.
Tenants include Texas Tech University’s Institute for Environmental and Human Health, which specializes in large-scale research and innovation involving environmental toxicology and bioterror countermeasures, and Supachill, an Australian company that specializes in food refrigeration and cryogenics.
Reese’s advanced fiber optics infrastructure boasts ultra-fast data transfer speeds for its computer center, which contains a Cray-2 super computer with time-share capabilities. South Plains College hosts classes specializing in work force training and technical education. The college’s graduates make natural transitions into contributing to the regional economy.
The future for the center looks bright. A master plan calls for further redevelopment into retail centers and restaurants.
“A lot of people had to pull together and think differently to save the state of our economy following the closing of this base,” Reno says. “Some people say you should think outside the box. We threw the box away.” FN
