Staff Report
Published Nov. 9, 2011

Bob Geolas has resigned as head of the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research to return to his home state as president and CEO of the Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina.

At Clemson, Geolas also serves as associate vice president for economic development. In that role, he oversees activities at the university’s Advanced Materials Center in Anderson County.

John Kelly, Clemson University vice president for economic development, said that Geolas played a central role elevating CU-ICAR from a bold vision to a leading center for advanced automotive research and education.

“Bob truly understood the concept of public-private partnerships,” Kelly said. “He shared the notion that CU-ICAR represents more than facilities and technology−it's about people.”

Plans for replacing Geolas at CU-ICAR remain unclear.

In a news release, Geolas called this opportunity at the Research Triangle “the ultimate job.”

Geolas is a graduate of North Carolina State University, where he also led that university’s Centennial Campus and Centennial Biomedical Campus before joining CU-ICAR in 2004.

“Leading RTP at this critical juncture is an important role for all of North Carolina. My entire educational and career experience is an expression of the Park’s original mission to move North Carolina forward by engaging the talents of local universities, their graduates, and citizens,” Geolas said. “The next 50 years for the Park and Foundation promise to be as challenging and rewarding as its first fifty years. I look forward to being an integral part of that work.”

During his tenure at NC State’s Centennial Campus, Geolas coordinated development of more than 1.48 million square feet of space that provided space to 60 private and government organizations employing more than 1,500 people. Today, Centennial is home to more than 62 companies and 75 academic units, with more than 7,700 employees.

Under his direction, the 250-acre CU-ICAR campus in Greenville has generated nearly $250 million in investments and $500 million in development, creating more than 2,300 jobs and over 760,000 square feet of space on site, with another 332,000 square feet in process. What began as a green field site when Geolas started seven years ago was recently recognized as the Emerging Research/Science Park for all of North America, as well as one of the five best global practices in the United States by the National Research Council, a division of the National Academy of Science.

Geolas was chosen to lead the Research Triangle following a national search that began in June. There, he will develop strategies for the park to adapt to meet evolving needs of current tenants, to attract different types of R&D businesses, and to utilize the park’s undeveloped land.

“We could not be more pleased that Bob Geolas will lead the Research Triangle Park,” said Bob Ingram, chairman of the Board Directors of the Research Triangle Foundation. “He is one of the most recognized and accomplished professionals in the nation for bringing together innovation assets to build dynamic and innovative economies that are a magnet for talent. His vast experience in land planning, development, zoning, permitting, financing, management, marketing and real estate negotiation makes him an ideal leader as the park embarks upon implementing its new master plan.”

The Research Triangle Park is a public-private partnership located between Duke University in Durham, North Carolina State University in Raleigh, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The 50-year-old research park is home to more than 170 global companies, including IBM, GSK, Syngenta, RTI International, Credit Suisse and Cisco.