New Year, New Building

Here we are—the beginning of the next decade—and LMT's first full year in its new building. We're sometimes kind of quiet about what's going on here; after all, our role is to observe, support and report on what's going on out there where you are. But we took a cue—and learned from you—the importance of taking pride in—and the value of customizing—our work space.

Even though our rented space was cozy, airy and bright, every time we wrote about a new state-of-the-art laboratory, we thought about how our own workflow might be improved by a new layout. As we grew from a staff of five to 12 and broke through a wall to take additional space next door, it became clear that it was time to move.

So a couple of years ago I purchased a residential piece of property right along the main corridor of our town—Newtown, Connecticut—after learning that the town would soon vote to allow rezoning the route for commercial use. The property—a...