Grand Openings

Cache Energy Expansion Ribbon Cutting EnterpriseWorks startup Cache Energy celebrated the expansion of its operations into a 10,000-square-foot warehouse at 301 E. Mercury Drive on Oct. 30, 2025 in Champaign. The facility will serve as a dedicated manufacturing warehouse, where Cache will build its limestone-based long-term energy storage from scratch, including mechanical and electrical components. Currently, the company can produce one ton of energy storage material per hour, and it plans to expand further in the coming months. 

LABWORKS OPEN HOUSE LabWorks, a turn-key wet lab and office suite space in the Research Park, celebrated its completion at an open house on Wednesday, January 10, 2024. The space is now open for occupancy. Learn more about the LabWorks Space on the Research Park website. 15 images Share

KOHLER INNOVATION CENTER GRAND OPENING: OCT 10, 2023 Kohler Co. and other involved parties celebrated the grand opening of the new Kohler Innovation Center at the University of Illinois Research Park on Tuesday, October 10, 2023. The new center is a reflection of the company’s objective of positively impacting current and future generations through design, craftsmanship, and innovation. Read more: Kohler Establishes Innovation Center at Research Park (illinois.edu) 21 images Share

ADM OFFICE EXPANSION ADM (NYSE: ADM) celebrated the grand opening of the new ADM Science and Technology Center at the University of Illinois Research Park on September 23, 2022. The facility quadruples ADM’s footprint at the University of Illinois Research Park and reflects a significant expansion of its capabilities. Learn more about the expansion here. 10 images Share  

AGCO GRAND RE-OPENING On Wednesday, March 30, AGCO had a grand opening to commemorate the completion of the AGCO Acceleration Center at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana Research Park. The expansion increases intern capacity to 80 workstations with an innovative Maker Lab for collaborative work and prototyping. The Acceleration Center has a bright future ahead and is expected to be a hub of inspiration and innovation for the AgTech community in Champaign. 18 images Share

Electric Power Engineers Grand Opening Electric Power Engineers, a global power system engineering and consulting firm, has opened an innovation center at the University of Illinois Research Park. This is the company’s first operation in the state of Illinois. EPE offers comprehensive services and proprietary solutions spanning utility engineering, grid and resource integration, reliability and compliance, and software and grid analytics, EPE’s client-centric approach delivers unmatched expertise throughout the project lifecycle. 18 images Share