FanFound may be a good example of the success Purdue University officials say they're having in Merrillville.
Brainchild of 28-year-old Valparaiso University graduate Chris Bauman, FanFound recently moved into a downtown Chicago office a few blocks from the Chicago River. Bauman's Web site -- a social networking outlet letting bands connect with fans -- was launched in 2006 from the Purdue Technology Center in Merrillville.
"It really was a huge benefit," Bauman said of leasing at the center. "We were only paying for 300 square feet, but we could utilize thousands of square feet."
Though it moved to Chicago where its managers live, Bauman's company retains the Merrillville address as its headquarters. It has downgraded its lease to an "affiliate" company, meaning it no longer is physically located there but can use the site's services.
Bauman said he has moved to Chicago to take advantage of connections there but hopes one day to help grow Northwest Indiana's music scene.
"We still hold strong Indiana roots," Bauman said. "We like to proclaim the fact that we're an Indiana company."
The Purdue Research Foundation -- based in West Lafayette -- manages the Merrillville site. The group declined The Times' request for an interview, but foundation spokeswoman Cynthia Sequin answered some questions via e-mail.
Sequin said through marketing and word of mouth, the center receives continual interest from companies to lease there.
Five companies have joined the list of tenants recently, including Rockford, Ill.-based Balanced IT Solutions, a software firm that moved into a Merrillville office last month.
"You can get space very affordable," said Balanced IT Solutions' Kerry Frank. "In times like these, that's the thing that makes sense."
Frank said her firm, while remaining based in Rockford, is creating a software development office in Merrillville where it will work on products for its aviation and homeland security clients.
Like Bauman, Frank touted the site's promise of colleague networking as one of the its main attractions.
"You also can work on confidential information and you don't have to worry about who's walking around there," Frank said.
Although not all of its existing office space has been filled, the Merrillville center is undergoing an expansion, funded in part by $2 million in federal money U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky obtained in 2007.
"I do consider (the center) a success, or I wouldn't have asked for the additional money for expansion of the facilities," Visclosky, a Merrillville Democrat, recently told The Times. "I don't want to over-promise or overplay it. We are planting seeds for a diversified economy."
The arrival of Balanced IT Solutions brings the center's occupancy to 75 percent.
Purdue's tech center in West Lafayette is at 100 percent, while its newer parks in New Albany and Indianapolis still are working to fill offices. The Indianapolis park, which has 7,000 more square feet than the Merrillville facility, has two tenant companies, Sequin said.
"We are very pleased with the progress of (the Merrillville center)," she added.
Sequin said the sour economy is one factor contributing to the Merrillville site being under-utilized.
But in her e-mail, Sequin expressed "no hesitation about expanding the center. The economy will improve."
