Making room for growth at Quonset - by Steven J. King

At Quonset Business Park, growth means more than adding square footage. It means creating room for companies to hire, innovate and bring products to market that can change lives. Two recent ribbon cuttings at REGENT Craft and Edesia Nutrition show what that growth looks like and what it takes to make it possible.

Edesia celebrated a 200,000 s/f expansion that will increase its production capacity by 65%. The additional space will allow its lifesaving Plumpy’Nut product to reach 10 million more children in need around the world each year. For founder and CEO Navyn Salem and her team, this investment advances an extraordinary mission: eliminating childhood malnutrition.

Making that expansion work required more than a building. Reliable, convenient rail service was an important part of the project. At Quonset Development Corp. (QDC), we worked to relocate the Quonset Business Park’s railroad tracks so Edesia’s expanded facility would have the rail access it needed. That work reflects our approach to economic development: understand a company’s needs, solve practical problems and put the infrastructure in place to support long-term success.

REGENT’s growth tells a similar story. The company began in our flex campus, where businesses can find space to establish operations and build toward their next stage. Today, REGENT’s new 250,000 s/f manufacturing facility at 1 Seaglider Way represents a major step forward for its all-electric seagliders and Rhode Island’s ocean economy.

The company’s recent Demo Day brought hundreds of partners, suppliers and investors from six continents to Quonset for a live demonstration and the facility’s grand opening. QDC, which helped make the new building possible, also provided maritime infrastructure at the Port of Davisville to support seaglider testing, research, and development. Together, those investments give CEO Billy Thalheimer and his team room to advance their technology and grow their manufacturing operations.

These projects serve different markets, but they share an important foundation. Both expansions bring new jobs and mission-driven work to Quonset, strengthening Rhode Island’s manufacturing base while extending its reach around the world.

For commercial real estate and economic development professionals, the lesson is straightforward. A successful business park requires more than available land and buildings. It requires ongoing attention to transportation, utilities, waterfront access and the evolving needs of its tenants.

At QDC, that means working alongside our companies well before a ribbon cutting, addressing the details that determine whether an expansion can move forward. Sometimes that work involves preparing space for a growing manufacturer. Sometimes it means moving a railroad.

Our responsibility is to make growth possible. Edesia and REGENT demonstrate what can happen when that commitment meets companies with a clear mission and the determination to deliver. 

Steven J. King, P.E. is the managing director of the Quonset Development Corp., North Kingstown, R.I.