source: Advantage West July 2006 Newsletter

By Advantage West North Carolina
published: July 14, 2006

AdvantageWest is working with officials from Transylvania County, The Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI), The Education & Research Consortium of the Western Carolinas and others on pursuing new commercial applications for PARI, a former NASA facility and tremendous economic asset for the region.

Above: (left to right) ERC Broadband Executive Director Hunter Goosmann, Transylvania County Economic Development Director Mark Burrows, PARI Founder Don Cline, and AdvantageWest CEO Dale Carroll on a recent tour of the PARI facility outside of Rosman, N.C.

Recently, officials toured the facility with a confidential client who evaluated the potential of the site for a commercial application. AdvantageWest CEO Dale Carroll said that the site has potential to create jobs in a number of industries. "PARI houses a number of unique radio and optical telescopes and other measuring devices that have potential for commercial applications that are compatible with their educational and scientific missions," Carroll said. We’re pleased that the private sector is taking a look at the opportunities in western North Carolina for high-tech data transmission and storage, as well as satellite tracking activities."