After more than two years of renovation work, York College officials on Friday showed off space they hope will build stronger bridges between business and academia in York County.
That space is Knowledge Park, a collaborative work environment carved out of a former paper mill north of the college’s main campus.
The space is designed to house companies that want to offer York College students real-world opportunities to use their academic knowledge — and potentially keep both companies and students in the York area.
“I see Knowledge Park as a real quiver in the arrow to reverse the forces of brain drain,” said Jeff Vermeulen, chief of staff for college president Thomas Burns.
Where is this happening: The former Schmidt & Ault Paper factory in the 400 block of Kings Mill Road and across the street from the J.D. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship, which offers space for startup ventures.
York College has owned the former mill since 2008, according to Vermeulen.
Officials long debated what to do with it, according to Pamela Gunter-Smith, president of the college from 2013 to 2023.
The options included converting it to a residence hall or an academic building
But she said, while on a tour during her interview for the college’s top job, she saw its potential as a place for students to apply their classroom learning.
The specifics took shape under a plan initially pitched by officials from the York County Economic Alliance, including its president and CEO, Kevin Schreiber, who is a York College graduate.
“They had it all laid out,” Gunter-Smith said at Friday’s ribbon-cutting.
Who’s moving in: The inaugural tenants include WellSpan Health, which is creating a state-of-the-art production studio in the building.
Students will work with the regional health system to create educational content, in-house corporate content and potentially even commercials, said Cindy Fruitrail, chief of staff for WellSpan.
WellSpan has partnered with York College to train medical professionals. “Now we’re extending that collaboration into digital media and communications,” Fruitrail said Friday during the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Knowledge Park.
Others include software developer Dataforma and engineering company JDB Engineering. Mantec, a nonprofit that offers consulting services to manufacturers, also plans to take up residence in Knowledge Park.
The Diehl House, which is attached to the former paper factory, hosts additional tenants, including industrial services company MRG Labs, contract lab Firinne Research and creative agency Dynamic Family Narratives. Diehl House opened in June 2023.
What’s next: The ribbon cutting marked completion of the first phase, which measures about 39,000 square feet.
The remainder of the building will be built out in phases as the college forges additional partnerships, Vermeulen said.
The phase one work was supported by a $6 million grant from the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, a sought-after source of state funding for projects across Pennsylvania.
Private-sector donors include York County entrepreneur Donald Graham and George Glatfelter II, a former leader of paper maker Glatfelter.
