November marks three years since the Bryan city council purchased a former corporate office building in the biocorridor.
Last week (October 10), the council without discussion approved the sale of the former Nutrabolt headquarters to a defense contractor.
Background information from the city of Bryan stated that the purchaser, BlueForge Alliance, was one of the tenants in the building, where the city leased space to multiple start up companies.
Mayor Bobby Gutierrez talked during his last visit on WTAW’s The Infomaniacs about how Blue Forge is involved in the production of submarines.
City documents do not disclose the sales price to Blue Forge.
In November 2020, the city council, acting as the Bryan commerce and development board, paid more than $2.7 million dollars for the 27,000 square foot building and eight acres of land.
Click below to hear comments from Bobby Gutierrez, visiting with WTAW’s Chelsea Reber on October 11, 2023.
There was no council discussion before a unanimous vote where the sales price was not disclosed.
News release from BlueForge Alliance, November 2, 2023:
With the need to continue growing their staff to meet one of the nation’s most critical industry and national security priorities, BlueForge Alliance (BFA), the national nonprofit supporting the U.S. Navy’s Submarine Industrial Base (SIB) efforts to revitalize and sustain the maritime manufacturing sector, has acquired the DesignSpark Innovation Center campus in Bryan, Texas from Bryan/Traditions, LP to continue serving as its headquarters.
The campus is located in Lake Walk, a William Cole Companies master planned community within the cities of Bryan and College Station. The headquarters building includes 28,000 sq. ft. of office space and has served as BFA’s home since its operations began one year ago today.
At its inception, BFA consisted of five people. Now fast approaching 100, the organization employs staff not only in the Brazos Valley region of Texas, but throughout the state and in 15 other states. Approximately one-in-five current employees are U.S. military veterans.
“We are thrilled to have worked with William Cole Companies from the beginning of our existence to bolster our efforts, and we are thankful to be able to call this location and the Lake Walk community home,” said BFA Chief Development Officer Matt Prochaska. “The Brazos Valley has long contributed to the success of our state, nation and world. Together with our partners, BlueForge Alliance aims to be a part of our region’s continuing legacy as we take on vital national imperatives.”
“We are proud to have BlueForge Alliance and their critical national security mission call Lake Walk home,” said William Cole Companies President Spencer Clements. “BlueForge Alliance joins our other best-in-class companies that rely on our community to help attract and retain world-class talent for their efforts. Their journey from a true startup in the very Innovation Center they are acquiring to achieving national scale and significance is a wonderful milestone for both Lake Walk and the entire Bryan/College Station community.”
MEETING A CRITICAL MISSION
As part of the SIB’s “whole of government, whole of industry” efforts, BFA was formed to assist in realizing the crucial goal of adding three nuclear-powered submarines – one Columbia-Class and two Virginia Class – to the U.S. Navy fleet each year for the foreseeable future. The SIB is comprised of more than 15,000 suppliers nationwide whom BFA is charged to help integrate and enable.
To achieve the “1+2” production cadence, BFA is helping to bring tens of thousands of new skilled tradespeople into the SIB workforce and developing and implementing advanced technologies.
BFA’s accomplishments in its first year in conjunction with the SIB include:
• Tens of millions of dollars of technology development and capacity expansion funding in execution to accelerate production across the nation
• Dozens of projects in key SIB regions executed to attract and train individuals in the skilled trades
• The development and redesign of BuildSubmarines.com, including the integration of a recruiting service career portal to showcase available career opportunities
• The deployment of the “We Build Giants” outreach campaign nationally and in key regions across traditional and digital media outlets
• Partnership with a championship NASCAR racing team as a platform to put stable, sustaining, purpose-filled careers in front of millions of Americans
“We have prioritized creating a strong culture of belonging and excellence at BlueForge Alliance in this first year, which reflects not only in our employees, but also our work,” said BFA Co-Founder and Chief Executive Kiley Wren. “Because of this and the ever-increasing and essential responsibilities our team is taking on, we continue to seek out qualified, dedicated, motivated individuals looking to serve their nation in this unique capacity.”
Career opportunities are available at BlueForgeAlliance.us, where job seekers can also sign up for email alerts when new openings are posted.
About BlueForge Alliance: BlueForge Alliance (BFA) is the national nonprofit, neutral integrator whose mission is to reinvigorate the U.S. defense industrial base necessary to produce next generation capabilities in partnership with the U.S. Navy and Department of Defense. BFA is a critical partner in the U.S. Navy Submarine Industrial Base’s mission to ensure industry has the capability, capacity, and resilience to build and maintain America’s next generation of undersea platforms. The organization’s team of experts in a variety of disciplines focus on addressing critical workforce, technology and supplier development needs. BFA is headquartered in Bryan/College Station, Texas. For more information, visit www.BlueForgeAlliance.us.