Rome Area Chamber of Commerce members have been asked to send letters of support for a proposed expansion project developed by ANDRO Computational Solutions for land at the Beeches Professional Campus.
An email message seeking the support was sent Wednesday to about 450 chamber members, said chamber President William Guglielmo. The request asked for letters to be sent by today to ANDRO President and Chief Scientist Andrew Drozd.
The brainchild of ANDRO is a proposed “Project Fibonacci” that would include establishing a scientific research and technical arts and sciences campus on over 55 acres of shovel-ready land, said Guglielmo’s email message.
Guglielmo said the letters of support would be part of ANDRO’s application for funding through the state’s Upstate Revitalization Initiative program. That program overall includes a local “MV500” effort by the six-county Mohawk Valley region to compile a plan to qualify for a $500 million award.
ANDRO, which occupies 15,000 square feet at the campus, has begun work on a $1 million expansion project including equipment purchases and relocations. It would involve a new subsidiary company geared toward Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance (NUAIR) efforts including developing a pre-flight spectrum certification for drone flights.
Drozd last month expressed hopes that the project would serve as a catalyst for further growth for his company as well as the entire Beeches campus. His vision includes new companies, both technology-based and otherwise, locating on the site. He also would like to see a college open an education center at the Beeches campus, which has over 50 acres and 10,000 square feet of leasable space available, he has said. Drozd could not be reached for further comment Thursday.
ANDRO’s “Project Fibonacci” proposal “has the potential to provide many opportunities for local and national universities, organizations such as NUAIR, the future tenants at the Nano-Utica initiative as well as other local and regional businesses to greatly benefit….,” said Guglielmo’s email message.
ANDRO, a privately company established in 1994, is dedicated to research, development and the application of advanced computer software for a variety of applications, according to company officials.
