John B. Parks Named Coldstream Director

John B. Parks Named Coldstream Director

Parks comes to UK with extensive experience in university research parks, having launched the University of Illinois Research Park in 2000 after heading the Iowa State University Research Park Corp.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 27, 2004) -- John B. Parks, currently director of the University of Illinois Research Park, has been named executive director of the University of Kentucky Coldstream Research Campus, an appointment approved today by the UK Board of Trustees.

Parks comes to UK with extensive experience in university research parks, having launched the University of Illinois Research Park in 2000 after heading the Iowa State University Research Park Corp.

"We definitely have the right leader in John Parks, who comes from a solid record of success in leading research parks, not only at Urbana-Champaign but also at Iowa State," said Wendy Baldwin, UK's executive vice president for research. "I am confident that he will bring the right mix of experience and enthusiasm to help Coldstream grow."

During Parks' tenure at Illinois, the park grew to 33 high-technology companies and centers with 650 employees. He launched the university's technology incubator facility with 19 startup companies. The Iowa State University Research Park is home to 41 companies, affiliates and research centers employing more than 1,100 people.

At Illinois, Parks served as director of the Research Park, EnterpriseWorks and the Technology Commercialization Lab from 2000 to the present. From 1997 to 2000, he was president and CEO of Iowa State University Research Park Corp. and director of the Iowa State Innovation System.

He was vice president of Dasher Management Corp. from 1982 to 1997.

Parks earned his Master of Business Administration and a bachelor's of business administration at Iowa State University.

Currently, UK's Coldstream Research Campus includes a mix of 20 science and technology companies and service/retail support businesses, including the Kentucky Technology Center, Embassy Suites and IBM Global Services. Nearly 800 people are employed at Coldstream.
In December, UK broke ground for the $12 million Center for Pharmaceutical Science and Technology. The new College of Pharmacy sterile-product manufacturing center is scheduled to open at Coldstream in the spring of 2005.

Parks will take over at Coldstream on April 1 from interim director Joseph L. Fink III, UK vice president for research and economic development.