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National engineering firm moving to BTR Park

April 21, 2004

KALAMAZOO--DLZ Michigan Inc., a full-service engineering firm with locations throughout the Midwest, will relocate its Niles, Mich., office to Western Michigan University's Business Technology and Research Park in May.

Initially, eight employees will staff the firm's offices in the park's Granite Park I building, which is currently being built by the Kalleward Group and is scheduled for mid-May occupancy. The building also will be home to Blue Granite, an information technology firm.

DLZ is a minority-owned, full-service firm that has provided engineering, architectural, environmental and construction services to public- and private-sector clients since 1916. In Michigan, the firm does extensive work with the Michigan Department of Transportation, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and numerous communities throughout the state.

The focus of the new office in Kalamazoo is expected to be on the practice of civil, transportation and environmental engineering. The company has been actively involved with WMU's Department of Civil Engineering since that unit was launched in 2003, and DLZ officials say they look forward to continuing that relationship, which will include recruitment of WMU students.

"DLZ is very proud to join WMU and the city of Kalamazoo in locating our newest office in the BTR Park," says Fred Pezeshk, president of DLZ Michigan Inc. "This is truly a special partnership that allows students to actively participate in real-world scenarios... what a great opportunity for all involved."

With the Kalamazoo opening, DLZ will have four offices in Michigan. Its other Michigan locations are Lansing, Detroit and Gaylord. The firm has 13 other offices located in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, West Virginia and Massachusetts. Nationwide, DLZ employs more than 700 people.

DLZ projects completed in recent years include construction and renovation projects for Michigan State University, Lake Michigan College, the University of Notre Dame, and Indiana, Ohio State and Purdue universities; design and repair work at the Battle Creek (Mich.) Air National Guard Base; highway, roadway and bridge work in Calhoun, Jackson and Livingston counties; construction of Kalamazoo's Maple Street Pump Station; an environmental assessment for the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport; development of land-use guidelines for the Fort Custer Industrial Park in Battle Creek; and environmental engineering for Kalamazoo's new transit station and Battle Creek's new public works facility.

An active partner with the communities it serves, DLZ has a track record of providing scholarship assistance and mentoring to area youth in communities where it has a presence. The company also emphasizes working with subcontractors from female- and minority-owned businesses as well as small, disadvantaged businesses. More information about the company is available on its Web site at <www.dlz.com>.

WMU's Business Technology and Research Park shares the University's 265-acre Parkview Campus with the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Launched in late 1999, the park is home to companies in the fields of advanced engineering, information technology and life sciences.

The park is one of 11 sites around Michigan designated as a SmartZone by the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and has won commitments from 24 partner firms, which have been attracted to the SmartZone by the prospect of collaboration with a major research university and the opportunity to take advantage of business incubator/accelerator services. Of the original 137 acres set aside for the park's development, 103 are already developed, under construction or under option for future development.

Media contact: Cheryl Roland, 269 387-8400, cheryl.roland@wmich.edu

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