The New Albany research and information district continues to take shape.

Jennifer Chrysler, community development director for the village, said two companies still are on schedule to break ground in the business park this year.

PharmaForce, which in 2008 announced its move to a 31-acre site in the village, is on track to start construction this spring on a 70,000-square-foot production and research facility.

The pharmaceutical company will join the business campus with a new name, though. Luitpold Pharmaceuticals, an international company, purchased PharmaForce at the end of December.

Chrysler said the purchase has not changed the company's plans to build in New Albany and she thinks it could add value to the business park.

"This is really exciting because they were able to sell to an international company that realizes (its) model is really successful," she said. "It's great for New Albany because we have an international presence in the business park."

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co., which in 2008 also announced intentions to locate a new data center in the research and information district, plans to break ground this spring or summer, Chrysler said.

She said the company still is finalizing its development plans.

Nationwide expects to employ about 40 workers at the New Albany data center with a total payroll of $2.4-million. The center will sit on the 45-acres the company owns in the business park.

Motorists Insurance Group broke ground last July on its 18,000-square-foot data center in the research and information district. Chrysler said construction has gone more smoothly than planned, and the building should open in October.

"It's gone a lot quicker than we thought," she said.

A new company also has moved into the New Albany Business Development Center on West Campus Oval not far from the research and information district.

Strategic Thinking Industries moved into the building, which was created as an incubator-like facility for small businesses and startups that primarily focus on technology. Other businesses in the building include eProximiti and HiringForce.

Chrysler said STI, owned by company president Brian Olah, is leasing about 1,000 square feet in the building.

Olah said his company, which previously was located in the TechColumbus incubator on Kinnear Road, focuses on labor and delivery data integration for hospitals.

"Basically, when a mom goes into the hospital to deliver a baby, she is strapped to the fetal heart rate monitor," he said. "We take the data out of the system and put it into the rest of the (hospital) system."

He said his technology helps to streamline patient information and helps reduce the amount of human error. He gave the example of a nurse incorrectly transposing the numbers of a patient's weight, which could affect drug dosage.

"In health care, double documentation is the No. 1 reason for medical errors," he said.

Olah said he expects his company to keep growing. He already has hired one additional employee because his business has taken off in the last few months.

"We love being in New Albany," he said. "The building has lots of opportunities for us to expand."