The following material has been prepared to help
you get acclimated to the CRC. Information has been organized into
chapters to help you
navigate to what’s important to you. If something has been omitted
or could be clearer, please let the CRC
administrative office know
about it. We welcome your feedback. Let’s get started!
We hope that you enjoy working at the CRC. If you
have any ideas about how we can make the experience better for you,
please don’t hesitate
to contact us!
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Mission |
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The Virginia Tech
Corporate Research Center, Inc. (CRC) is a for-profit, wholly-owned subsidiary of the Virginia
Tech Foundation. As such, the CRC is not a state organization
and does not have to comply with any aspect of state procurement.
The CRC was created in July, 1985 and completed its first building
in 1988. |
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The mission statement of the CRC is:
To develop a growing, prestigious research park
for high-technology companies. Concurrently, the CRC will, in
collaboration with the university, advance the research, educational,
and technology transfer missions of Virginia Tech (VT).
The CRC advances the research mission of VT by
helping to create research relationships between companies at
the CRC and Virginia Tech. For example, a tenant company could
sponsor research at VT as part of a SBIR (Small Business Innovative
Research) contract. The CRC advances the educational mission
of VT by working with faculty to identify student projects that
can be done at the CRC. For example, MBA students create business
plans for CRC companies. The CRC advances the technology transfer
mission of VT by having an incubator program called VT
KnowledgeWorks that creates companies based
on VT developed technology licensed by Virginia
Tech Intellectual Properties,
Inc. (VTIP). |
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Objectives |
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Below are a list of the objectives of the CRC
as amended and approved by the Board of Directors at its meeting
in 2000:
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Enhance the quality, stature and reputation
of Virginia Tech by increasing corporate and government research
relationships with Tech through tenancy at the CRC. |
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Provide facilities and support to the university and Virginia
Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc. to help bring faculty
research to commercial reality and transfer technology to
the private sector. |
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Create and maintain attractive sites, buildings and physical
environs for laboratories, offices and other uses in basic
and applied research, quality assessment, prototyping, and
testing. |
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Provide research-related employment opportunities for Virginia
Tech undergraduate, graduate, cooperative students, faculty,
staff, and spouses. |
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Contribute to employment and economic growth in the region
and the Commonwealth through the expansion of the park, development
of local infrastructure to support the park, support of the
Business/Technology
Center, and support of university outreach
initiatives with non-CRC companies and communities. |
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Assist with university research programs and initiatives
that facilitate economic development activities by matching
the needs of CRC businesses, facilities, and programs with
the research and professional capabilities of Virginia
Tech.
This will hopefully increase the level of industry-sponsored
research at Virginia Tech. |
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To be a profitable subsidiary of the Virginia
Tech Foundation,
capable of returning income to the Foundation on an annual
basis. |
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Assist the university with its teaching mission by identifying
opportunities for classes to use the CRC and its companies
for classroom projects, special studies, internships, cooperative
education experiences, and on-site instruction. |
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Awards |
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The CRC has been the recipient of several awards that represent
excellence among U.S. research parks. In 1997, the CRC was named “Best
Practice in Technology Transfer and Research Centers” in
the mid-Atlantic region by the Economic Development Administration
of the U.S. Department of Commerce. In 2001, the CRC was selected
to represent the eastern U.S. in a world-wide network of the best
research parks. This network is no longer operational. In 2004,
the CRC was one of three national finalists for the “Excellence
in Technology-led Economic Development Award.” |
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Maps |
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The following maps show the layout of the CRC. Click on any map
and then click again on it to enlarge it. |
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Current Map |
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CRC Master Plan for Phase I |
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CRC Master Plan for Phase II |
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Aerial View of the CRC |
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Demographics |
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The following are current statistics on the park
as of April 1, 2005.
Number of Tenants: 140+
Number of Tenant Employees: Over 2,000
Number of Buildings: 24 completed and 4 under construction
Total Square Footage: 750,000 square feet |
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Pictorial History |
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The CRC has developed a PowerPoint presentation
that shows the growth of the park though ground-breaking ceremonies,
aerial photos,
and building openings.
>>>View
Pictorial History |
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Current Tenants |
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There is a search engine on the CRC website that
permits you to find tenants by name, building or technology.
>>>Search Current Tenants |
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Restaurant |
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The CRC has an excellent on-site restaurant called the Sigma
Grill & Lounge, located in Research Building XII. The Sigma
Grill offers an eclectic menu including Thai, Caribbean, Greek,
Italian, and American items. The range of choices includes salads,
sandwiches, soup, and entrees. Sigma offers daily specials, happy
hours, delivery, and catering.
>>>View Sigma Grill's website |
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Fitness Center |
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The CRC has a great fitness center called The
Weight Club @ CRC,
located in Research Building XII. The 5000 square foot facility
has a large complement of fitness machines, free weights, and classes.
Membership at The Weight Club @ the CRC allows you to use the facilities
at the University Mall location as well as the CRC location. Personal
training is also available.
>>>View The
Weight Club's website |
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Walking Trails |
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There are paved trails, unpaved trails, and bike lanes along
the road in the CRC.
>>>View map of walking trails |
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VTCRC Volleyball League |
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The CRC encourages companies and their employees to take advantage
of the VTCRC Volleyball League. Registration begins in April and games begin in May on Tuesdays and Thursdays. To conclude the League's season, the CRC hosts an End of the Season cookout. Spectators are welcomeat all games; bring only cheers, no jeers to join in the fun.
Coming soon...
View team schedules here.
View team scores here.
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Happy Hours |
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Happy Hours are held on Friday evenings periodically throughout the year at
Sigma Grill. Companies can also hold celebrations there. Book your event with Sigma Grill. |
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Annual Picnic |
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The CRC hosts an annual picnic for its tenant employees and their
families in the fall. Live music, a dunking booth to raise money
for charity, a moon walk, clowns and lots of good food make for
a fun-filled evening for adults and children.
>>>See 2007 picnic photos and sponsors |
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Community Impact Program |
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The Community
Impact Program is a great way to get involved with
the charity of your choice. The CIP Program recognizes companies
that give of their time and resources to support things like the
United Way and the Community Foundation. The program also helps
broker relationships between organizations that have needs and
tenant companies. Learn more about the many successes of this program.
>>>View the CIP website |
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eNewsletter |
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The CRC frequently publishes an electronic (i.e.
email) newsletter. The eNewsletter is the best way
to keep informed about things going on at the CRC. If you would
like to sign up now – click on the following link.
>>>Sign
Up to CRC eNewsletter by sending your email address and contact information |
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Postings |
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Often, the CRC will post flyers or notices on the building entry
doors and on the building bulletin boards. The fact that the CRC
is posting a notice generally means that it is important. For example,
new parking rules during football games would likely be posted.
Advertising is not permitted. |
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Website |
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The CRC website is a good source of information
on what’s
going on in the park. The fast facts area is used to highlight
things that everyone at the CRC should know. The news area highlights
announcements by companies. Both of these sections change each
time that you log-on to the site.
>>>View the CRC's website |
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Event Banners |
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When there is an important event taking place at the CRC that
everyone is invited to, a banner will be flown at the two entries
to the park. The banner will direct you to the website where a
description of the event, location, and time will be posted. |
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Banking and ATM |
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First National
Bank operates a personal services
branch bank in the Garvin Building and has an ATM in the RB II
parking lot.
FNB has a preferential banking plan for employees of companies
at the CRC. To learn more about their banking services visit
their corporate website.
>>>View FNB's website |
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Training Programs |
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The CRC and its affiliates often sponsor training programs in
a wide range of business and technical areas. Training programs
are announced to the company presidents and on the CRC’s
eNewsletter. |
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Brown Bag Luncheons |
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Frequently, companies that wish to sell products and services
offer Brown Bag Luncheon presentations to tenant employees. These
events, usually held adjacent to the Sigma Grill and Lounge at
noon, cover a wide range of fields. Brown Bag Luncheons are announced
in the CRC’s eNewsletter and usually a written invitation
is sent to company presidents. |
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Copy and Shipping Center |
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The M&P Copy and Ship Center, located in Suite
1150 of RBXII, offers a wide range of printing, copying, and
FedEx Express and FedEx Ground shipping services to the public. You can send material to them
electronically or drop it off at the CRC Administrative offices
for printing and they will deliver the final product to you.
>>>Contact
M&P Copy and Ship Center at print@vtcrc.net or call (540) 951-2972. |
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Bus Service |
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There are two bus
services available in the CRC – the Blacksburg
Transit (BT) and the SmartWay
Bus. The BT has routes in the Blacksburg
area including from the CRC to the VT campus.
The BT bus is a free service if you have a Hokie
Passport (see below). |
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Buses are often equipped to carry bicycles.
Learn more
about the BT bus service.
The SmartWay Bus runs between sites in Blacksburg,
starting at Squires Hall on the VT campus, and downtown Roanoke,
including a stop at the Roanoke Airport. The trip is $3.00 one
way. The SmartWay Bus stops in front of the Garvin Building both
on the way to VT and on the way to Roanoke.
>>>View the Smartway Bus Schedule |
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Dry Cleaning Pickup/Delivery |
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A Cleaner World offers "Express Bag" service at the
CRC. Pick up and delivery days are Tuesdays and Thursdays every
week at the First National Bank in the Garvin Building.
>>> View A Cleaner World's website |
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Volleyball Court |
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The CRC has a volleyball court for tenant use located on Pratt
Drive between the Garvin Building and the entry to RB XV. This
lighted court can be scheduled for use by contacting the CRC Administrative Office. |
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Basketball Court |
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The CRC has a basketball goal located at the rear of the parking
lot behind the Garvin Building. The use of this goal is not scheduled. |
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US and Overnight Mail |
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Apartment-type mailboxes are provided for each building within
the park. These are located in areas accessible for entry by the
post office to make Saturday deliveries. The post office provides
keys to each box. Tenants are responsible for replacing the lock
and keys, should keys be lost. Mail will be delivered to your mailbox
Monday - Saturday around 11:00 a.m. Outgoing mail should be in
the Outgoing Mail slot by 10:00 a.m. each day to ensure pickup.
Each building in the park also has an internal
mailroom with an assigned mailbox for each company to receive
mail from the CRC administrative office. The CRC administrative
office also has a mailbox in each building where companies may
place mail to be delivered to us. This mailbox will be checked
at least once a day.
Also, for your convenience, a U.S. mail drop box
is located in front of the Garvin Center. The last pick up is
around 4:30 p.m. each day.
Drop boxes for private carriers (FedEx, UPS, and
DHL) are located behind the First National Bank ATM in the parking
lot across the street from the U.S. Postal Service drop box at
the entrance to the Garvin Center. FedEx drop boxes are
also located behind Research Building VIII located at 2000
Kraft Drive. Pickup by the private carriers occurs between 5:00 – 6:00
p.m. each weekday. There are no week end pick ups from these
boxes. |
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Hokie Passport |
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All CRC tenant employees are eligible to obtain
a Hokie Passport
identification card/debit card unless they are
taking classes on campus or are employed by the university.
The passport can be used for various privileges
as described below (list subject to change at any time): |
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VT Newman Library
and other campus libraries – use
of comprehensive research library with over 1.7 million volumes
that receives over 16,000 periodicals. |
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VT War Memorial Gymnasium – facilities provided for
swimming, racquetball, basketball, volleyball, and weight rooms
at faculty/staff rates. |
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VT Athletic Season Tickets – faculty/staff discounts
on season tickets for the football games and basketball games.
Reduced price or free entry for games of the 15 other intercollegiate
sports teams at Tech, including baseball, soccer, volleyball,
tennis, swimming, and track. |
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Blacksburg Transit System – free use serving all points
in the Blacksburg area as well as the Two-Town Trolley providing
bus service to and from neighboring Christiansburg. |
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Virginia Tech Credit Union – eligibility for membership
and their services. |
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VT Outdoor Tennis Courts – use of the courts beside
Cassell Coliseum. |
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University Bookstore and Volume II Bookstore – discounts
on all supplies and trade books excluding computer equipment
and software. Due to the language in educational software license
agreements, only university employees are eligible to purchase
software at the University Bookstore at educational prices. |
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VT Concert and Theater Tickets – faculty/staff discounts. |
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VT Food Services Facilities – discounts in some, such
as the Hokie Grill. Many merchants in town are accepting the
Hokie Passport as a debit card. |
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VT Parking Pass – CRC Tenant employees can obtain courtesy
CRC parking passes to park at the CRC and in faculty/staff
parking on campus. Employees who are currently taking more
than 1 hour of classes on campus are required to purchase a
faculty/staff pass. The fine for violating this policy is $100. |
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>>>To
apply for a parking permit |
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Seminars |
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A large number of seminars and Ph.D. dissertation presentations
are held on the VT campus. Some are announced on the CRC’s
eNewsletter. The best plan is to contact the department that will
likely host seminars that you are interested in and get on their
electronic distribution list. |
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The CRC has developed a number of
business relationships with product and service providers that
result in savings to companies and/or employees in the CRC. These
relationships are continuing to grow and currently include: furniture
discounts, car repair discounts, rental car discounts, etc. The
CRC acts as a buying cooperative to these product and service
providers ensuring that CRC companies and employees receive maximum
discounts.
The list of affiliates continues to grow. Learn
about the products and services that each affiliate offers that
may be of interest to you. |
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The CRC imposes a number of rules
and regulations on its tenants via the lease. Some of those rules
are important for tenant employees to know about. Here are the
most important.
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The CRC will not be responsible for lost or
stolen personal property, equipment, money, or jewelry from
tenant's area or public rooms regardless of whether such
loss occurs when the area is locked against entry or not. |
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Each tenant shall see that all doors of its suite are closed
and securely locked and must observe strict care and caution
that all its water faucets or water apparatus are entirely
shut off before tenant or its employees leave the suite,
and that all utilities shall likewise be carefully shut off
so as to prevent waste or damage. On multiple-tenancy floors,
all tenants shall keep their door or doors to the building
corridors closed at all times except for ingress and egress. |
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No cooking shall be done or permitted by any tenant in
the suite (except that use by tenant of Underwriter's laboratory
approved equipment for the preparations of coffee, tea, hot
chocolate, and similar beverages and convenience foods for
tenants and their employees shall be permitted, provided
that such equipment and use is in accordance with applicable
federal, state and city laws, codes, ordinances, rules and
regulations) nor shall suite be used for lodging or sleeping. |
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In the event tenant must dispose of crates, boxes, etc.
which will not fit into office wastepaper baskets, it will
be the responsibility of tenant to dispose of large items
by hauling them to the county dump - not putting them in
CRC trash bins.. In no event shall tenant set such items
in the public hallways or other areas of the building excepting
tenant's own leased suite, for disposal. |
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The CRC reserves the right to exclude or expel from the
building any person who, in the CRC’s judgment, is
intoxicated or under the influence of liquor or drugs or
who is in violation of any of the rules and regulations of
the building. |
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The CRC is a smoke free environment. Smoking is not allowed
in any of the buildings. Please smoke in areas away from
the building. |
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Tenants that have an authorized parking decal provided
by the university may park at the CRC during football games.
Tenants needing temporary authorization for parking for their
visitors during games may obtain that from the CRC administrative
office. |
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Tenant use of heaters poses a significant risk for the
CRC. The fire code requires that all electric resistance
heaters must have 3 feet of open clearance around all sides,
have a tip-over cutoff switch, be UL listed, and not be left
unattended. Heaters have been the source of over 90% of the
calls the CRC receives about tripped breakers and have caused
many a user and their neighbor to lose information from their
computer when the breakers trip. This is why we discourage
use. If you must use a heater then they are required to meet
the following criteria. They must by UL approved; draw less
than 150 watts or less than 1 amp; have a maximum temperature
of 150 degrees F; have no fan; have no exposed electric resistance
strips; and have a safety temperature cutoff switch. Heaters
may not use gas, kerosene, or any other energy source except
electricity. In no circumstance shall heaters be left on
unattended. |
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The CRC administrative office schedules the use of all
conference rooms in the CRC. Tenants have access to all conference rooms and they
are available on a 365/7/24 basis. Conference rooms should
only be used for legitimate business purposes. Tenants are
responsible for cleaning up conference rooms after their
use and arranging for catering materials to be picked up. |
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The design of the heating and air conditioning systems
in the buildings dictates that windows, even though operable,
must not be opened. |
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Reporting Maintenance Problems (Including Emergencies) |
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The CRC has an excellent maintenance system and staff.
If you see something that needs fixing, just go to the main CRC
website and select “Request Maintenance
Service.” The
system will ask you to identify your company, the nature of the
problem, whether it is an emergency, and how to get in touch with
you. After the maintenance action has been completed, you will
receive an email asking you to confirm that the maintenance action
has been accomplished to your satisfaction. |
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Telecom Issues |
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The CRC also has an excellent data network. If you
need additional service or are having problems with the network,
just go the main
CRC
website and
select “Request Network
Service.” Complete the form with your desired action
and the network staff will promptly respond to your request. |
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Contact Us |
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Feel free to contact the CRC
administrative office at any time about anything. We want
to create a place that you are proud to work at. |