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| President Michael Ortiz, CSU Chancellor Charles Reed and others lend a hand during ribbon cutting ceremonies for the American Red Cross Blood Services Southern California headquarters. |
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| LVN Dana Parks assists Richard Hernandez as he donates blood at the grand opening for the American Red Cross Blood Services Southern California headquarters at Cal Poly Pomona. |
Hundreds of people gathered on May 13 to celebrate the grand opening of Southern California's new $41.6 million blood processing center and headquarters at Cal Poly Pomona's Innovation Village.
Community members, business leaders, politicians and representatives from Cal Poly Pomona and the American Red Cross attended a press conference and ribbon cutting ceremony, toured the state-of-the-art facility and enjoyed a country western barbecue lunch.
“Cal Poly Pomona is very proud of our partnership with the American Red Cross,” said President Michael Ortiz. “Today we bring together one of the nation's top comprehensive universities and one of the world's premier blood processing facilities.”
California State University Chancellor Charles Reed said he is a strong believer in public-private partnerships.
“Cal Poly Pomona was selected for this partnership, I think, because of its intellectual capital,” said Reed. “In addition to the faculty, the university has a wealth of resources in technology and students. Plus, the Red Cross has a wealth of education it can provide to our faculty and students in research and learning opportunities.”
One of the world's largest blood centers, the new two-story facility encompasses 201,000 square feet that houses a blood donation center, an advanced blood processing laboratory, a blood distribution facility, a warehouse and administrative offices. The building is constructed of 1,100 tons of steel, 2,500 cubic yards of concrete floors and is designed to ensure seismic stability necessary to maintain operations in the event of a major earthquake or other natural disaster.
“At this location, we will not only focus on the manufacturing of blood products, but also the commitment to medical research which will enable us to provide better treatments for future patients,” said Jack McGuire, executive vice president for Biomedical Services, American National Red Cross.
The blood facility also serves as the anchor tenant for the universitys Innovation Village, a 65-acre mixed-use technology park designed to provide a setting for interface between the universitys human and technological resources and those of the private sector. It provides prime educational and research opportunities for Cal Poly Pomona students and faculty as well as creates new jobs and economic prospects within neighboring business communities.