The Quonset Development Corp. (QDC) reached another important milestone last month in its effort to help smaller current and future tenants grow their businesses. On August 26, governor Lincoln Chafee cut the ribbon to celebrate the grand opening of the Gateway Offices at Quonset Business Park. The Gateway Offices are a new initiative launched by the QDC to provide modern, state-of-the-art office space for small business start-ups or other small businesses The addition of the new offices reinforces Quonset Business Park's position as a key driver of job creation and economic growth in Rhode Island. It is now home to more than 175 companies, with 9,500 full-time and part-time jobs. Its Port of Davisville is one of the top ten auto-importers in North America. "These new offices are another great example of how Quonset Business Park continues to evolve as one of the premiere business parks in New England," Chafee said at the event. "As one of our state's key assets, the QDC continues to find new ways for both large and small companies to succeed at Quonset, which is helping to grow more jobs for Rhode Island." The new building, which is located in the Quonset Gateway District, provides tenants with modern amenities, affordable rates, and the option of short-term leases, including a month-to-month option. The new facility includes a reception staff to field phone calls and visitors for all tenants, wireless high-speed Internet, shared break areas (including an outdoor courtyard), a conference room, an abundance of natural light and multiple restrooms. The building itself is more than 14,000 s/f, and includes 30 offices that are approximately 150 s/f in space, plus two additional office suites of approximately 2,200 s/f. Some of the offices can also be expanded with the removal of walls for companies with multiple employees. The QDC is excited to be able to provide these affordable, attractive, state-of-the-art offices to new start-ups and existing small businesses in our community. Our goal at Quonset is to continue to provide our tenants with the modern infrastructure and predictable business climate that they need to succeed. No matter your company's size, we want to help it grow and create more jobs for Rhode Islanders. The overall plans for the Gateway Offices include the construction of multiple buildings that would be phased in over several years. As of today's opening, 89% of the available square footage of the new building is already leased. To learn more about available space at the Gateway Offices, we encourage you to visit the website: www.QuonsetGateway.com. We firmly believe that businesses that are going places need a great place to grow, and that is exactly what we can provide at the Quonset Business Park. Steven King, PE, is the managing director of the Quonset Development Corp., North Kingstown.