The Western Sarnia-Lambton Research Park plans to have its new board of directors in place by early next year as it looks to attract new tenants and meet economic development goals.
Recruitment efforts started in June.
Executive Director Dr. Katherine Albion said the research park received strong interest from the community in response to the call for applications.
Albion said the new directors will be appointed in late 2026 to have the new board in place in early January 2027.
"The research park board provides us with strategic leadership, fiduciary oversight, and ensures that the research park fulfills the economic development goals of Sarnia-Lambton," Albion previously told Sarnia News Today.
There are currently five ex officio members on the board, and they wanted to add four new directors to serve a term of up to three years.
Albion said they were specifically looking at candidates with strong business skillsets and experience.
Meanwhile, the research park's occupancy rate increased earlier this year and currently sits at about 71 per cent.
"We had a new tenant move into the research park recently and we've also recently had three of our current tenants expand on site," Albion said.
The research park is rolling out a new marketing plan to attract new tenants.
"We have new ads that are being run across the region, and we are continuing to pursue new opportunities with companies who have expressed interest in leasing at the park," she said. "We have some primary real estate space -- office space currently available."
The research park has faced financial problems in recent years as many tenants adopted a hybrid-work-from-home model in 2023.
During the 2026 budget deliberations, the County of Lambton Community Development Corporation was approved $845,603 to accommodate the research park's short-term needs, as well as $653,156 in grant funding.
