SCOTTISH Government minister Angus Robertson visited the HALO Enterprise and Innovation Centre in East Ayrshire to see how the facility is helping businesses and local communities.
The Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture toured the award-winning building in Kilmarnock this week.
Robertson was shown the HALO’s low-carbon tech, including its 107 rooftop solar panels and battery storage facility, which represent part of the HALO’s low carbon credentials.
He also saw the HALO #RockMe Trading Floor, which is home to some of Ayrshire’s most exciting businesses, and some of the shared working spaces where tenants can meet, work and network while on site.
The Cabinet Secretary also visited Nasdaq-listed PRA Group, which is the HALO’s anchor tenant and one of the largest employers in Kilmarnock.
With the HALO development now well under way, the global aspirations and plans for the HALO brand can now progress.
These include building on some of the valuable relationships the HALO has forged in recent years, NASA’s Rice Space Institute in Houston, Texas, among them.
Other projects include Glasgow Caledonian University’s New York College, whose three Masters of Science degrees examine business, fashion and risk management through the lenses of sustainability and social impact.
Marie Macklin CBE, Founder and Executive Chair of HALO Urban Regeneration Company, said: “Everyone at the HALO is extremely grateful for the support and investment of both the Scottish and UK governments.
“On today’s visit we were able to not only show off our net zero credentials and how we’re supporting businesses across Ayrshire and Scotland, but to outline to the Cabinet Secretary the HALO’s global aspirations as we look to help create the new tomorrow’s world.”
Robertson said: “HALO has embodied transformation, regenerating a brownfield site to a state-of-the-art space for businesses to thrive and attract inward investment.
“Dr Macklin is setting the gold standard for how we can work together to achieve truly world leading success.”
13 years in the making, the HALO Kilmarnock is a £63m brownfield urban regeneration project on a 23-acre site, formerly the home of Johnnie Walker whisky, designed to maximise collaboration between entrepreneurs and UK PLCs.
The HALO’s Enterprise and Innovation Centre opened its doors earlier this year.
