FAST-GROWING LYNX GETS BIG NEW DEN.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

CALABASAS - To accommodate its growing staff of tech wizards, Lynx Photonic Networks is getting some new digs.

The 3-year-old firm, which develops optical switches for use in long- distance computer networks, is moving from its 5,000-square-foot site in Woodland Hills to a roomier place in Calabasas. With a hefty 34,000 square feet of space, the new location in the tech-heavy 101 Corridor will be a stable home for Lynx, according to Kelly Williams, director of marketing and communications.

``Our goal is not to have to move every six months like a lot of startups,'' she said. ``We need room to grow in the future.''

Calabasas is prime real estate for tech firms on the rise, said Fred Cordova, director of Cushman Investment Services, a Los Angeles firm specializing in corporate advice. An able labor pool for future recruiting, desirable land and comfortable surroundings make the 101 Corridor the place to be, he said.

``It's a great area, perfect for them,'' Cordova said. ``You have a real good and friendly environment for high-tech companies. There's quite a few that have moved out there, especially ones that have developed in the Valley.''

Lynx also operates a research and development center in Israel, where it will remain with its 110 employees. The Valley office, where there could be as many as 80 employees by year's end, will handle all the firm's other interests, Williams said, including business matters, Internet operations and customer application development.

This is just the latest in a series of advances for Lynx, which raised $30 million in venture capital earlier in the year. If all goes according to plan, it could be bound for Wall Street as soon as 2002.

``Next, we should go public,'' Williams said. ``But we're not committing to a date yet, owing to the current state of the market.''