In a story that illustrates the close-knit nature of Delaware, Gov. Jack Markell revealed his ties to the co-founder of the fast-growing technology company SevOne.
SevOne co-founder Ves Bakalov was a teen-ager when his family moved to Newark from Bulgaria. Markell has been acquainted with the family since they moved to the city.
A couple of decades later, Markell recounted a story of immigrants achieving the American dream at the ribbon cutting ceremony for SevOne’s Innovation and Technology Center.
On hand for the ceremony was the Bakalov family, along with businesspeople, legislators and city officials.
The center is located at the University of Delaware’s Science, Technology & Advanced Research (STAR) Campus in Newark.
The first phase of the STAR Campus also houses the University of Delaware Health Sciences Complex and health care providers.
A portion of the building includes the former Chrysler Corp. Newark Assembly Plant administration building. Chrysler occupied the STAR site for nearly a half century before the University of Delaware acquired the site.
Markell and SevOne Chief Financial Officer Mike Shanahan said the STAR Campus is an ideal location for the company.
Shanahan went on to praise Markell for providing the “aptitude and the attitude”: in making the state into a technology leader.
Markell acknowledged that Delaware faced stiff competition with the Boston area when it came to building a technology center.
The victory was not complete as the company revealed this week that its corporate headquarters was quietly moved to Boston, which is also the home of its biggest investor Bain Capital.
SevOne executives and Markell earlier in the week, took pains to downplay the significance of the move, noting that executives spend much of their time on the road and that Boston accounts for about one-tenth of the company’s total workforce.
In Newark the two-floor, 50,000-square foot center houses many of the company’s operations, that include the loading of servers with the company’s software.
SevOne servers and systems monitor computer networks that have grown from networks and servers to mobile devices.
Privately held, SevOne, founded by University of Delaware graduates Vess Bakalov, spouse Tanya and Jim Young in 2005. It has grown from a few people working from space off Main Street to a global company employing more than 500 people.
More than 230 of SevOne’s employees are based in Delaware, and the company plans to add 100 new positions at the STAR campus facility over the next two years.
Shanahan said hiring is running ahead of projections and the company’s 50,00 square feet of space is already nearing capacity. Further expansion at the STAR campus is a distinct possibility.
Growth has been spurred by venture capital investments from Bain and other investors.
A final piece of the project, the company’s data center, will be moved from the company’s former headquarters in Pike Creek, in January.
Markell noted that the data center will use Bloom Energy servers to provide power for the data center. The Bloom East Coast site is also on the STAR campus.
SevOne continues to recruit talent, drawing up to 70 percent of its interns from the University of Delaware, the company noted.
The site features West Coast-style tech company touches including stand-up desks, furniture, free soft drinks and snacks, and an employee lounge with interactive games.
The centerpiece is a steel slide fabricated in Wilmington that many staffers use to make a quick trip to the first floor.
The building housing SevOne is owned by DelleDonne & Associates, Wilmington. Contractor is Bancroft Construction Co., with Tevabaugh Associates serving as architect and Mitchell Associates, Wilmington; provides interior design services.
The state played a role in a training grant that is used in a training program that acquaints tech staffers in business practices.
“SevOne’s commitment to the state confirms that Delaware is not only the best place to start a business, it’s also a great place to grow a business,” said Bernice Whaley, Director, Delaware Economic Development Office. “SevOne is truly an amazing success story; the new Technology and Innovation Center will build upon that success by providing job opportunities for Delawareans in the cutting-edge technology industry.”
