University Research Park announces new associate director
University Research Park Inc., a nonprofit organization affiliated with the University of Wisconsin–Madison, has announced the selection of Paul Muench of Madison to serve as the next associate director to lead URP’s real estate and operations functions.
Paul Muench
“I’m tremendously excited to work with Paul,” says University Research Park’s Managing Director Aaron Olver. “If the Madison real estate community had an all-star team, Paul would play shortstop and bat cleanup.”
Muench, 53, is a graduate of UW–Madison’s Graaskamp Real Estate Program and holds a master’s degree in architecture from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. After several roles in real estate finance, Muench joined Urban Land Interests in 1997 and made substantial contributions to its transformational, mixed-use projects in downtown Madison, including Block 89, Findorff Yards, and the redevelopment of US Bank Plaza and Anchor Bank.
“University Research Park is advancing many important economic initiatives supporting the university,” Chancellor Rebecca Blank, the president of the board, says. “I’m delighted Paul will join the team and help lead these efforts.”
“I’m honored to have been selected and am looking forward to solving puzzles with Aaron and the URP team,” Muench says. “University Research Park has outstanding real estate holdings within our city and it has succeeded in supporting and retaining homegrown businesses and technologies. I’m so grateful for the past 20 years of redevelopment work alongside Brad and Tom at Urban Land Interests; they represent the gold standard to me.”
Established in 1984, University Research Park is an internationally recognized research and technology park that supports early-stage and growth-oriented businesses in a range of sectors including engineering, computer, and life sciences. More than 125 companies call the research park home, employing approximately 3,800 workers and generating $43 million of local and state tax revenue annually and an economic impact of over $825 million each year.
Muench’s wife, Lisa, is a teacher with the Middleton public schools. Their sons, Carl and Vaughn, attend Madison West High School. They live in the Dudgeon-Monroe area of Madison’s near west side.
