As mentioned in the fall edition of Business Incubation News, Velcura Therapeutics has moved to a new home at 4300 Varsity Drive in Ann Arbor, MI. This new facility, which houses the seven Velcura employees, is a total of 5,500 square feet, including 1,700 square feet of labs, a 1,500 square foot warehouse and storage area, and 2,300 square feet of common and office space.

Velcura practiced “targeted frugality” when designing tenant improvements for the offices and labs in their new home. For example, they were able to source excellent office and conference furniture for a fraction of retail price from a former tenant of the new facility, and some tables and desks were even sourced from the University of Michigan Property Disposition Office. Lab benches and countertops were constructed with kitchen cabinet materials purchased from a home building supply retailer, which made lab build-out a fraction of typical cost. These cost savings helped to reserve cash for necessary research purchases such as tissue culture incubators and laminar air flow hoods.

Velcura worked with Tracy Wintermeyer of Lewis Companies when sourcing this Ann Arbor Commerce Park facility. “In the Velcura space, we converted existing office space to wet lab and a clean room area. The facility turned out better than we had planned. Velcura has a functional lab environment and an office area that presents a very professional image to new customers and clients when they enter the space,” commented Wintermeyer.