Friday, May 4, 2018


Rendering of  Core5's planned 601,350-SF Build-to-Suit Project,
West Atlanta, GA
ATLANTA, GA  – Atlanta-based Core5 Industrial Partners announced a 601,350 square-foot build-to-suit for Empire Distributors, Inc. a wholesale beverage distributor that serves three states in the Southeast (GA, TN and NC) and represents over 1,000 brands from around the world.
       The building resides at 685 Hartman Road in Austell, Georgia. The facility is an expansion for Empire, moving from approximately 300,000 square feet in Atlanta Industrial Park in Fulton County to the new building in Southwest Cobb County.


Lisa M. Ward

        Empire’s corporate headquarters and its regional distribution operations will be housed in the facility which will feature over 80,000 square feet of two-story office space alongside dedicated cooler and distribution space.
       The entire building will be climate controlled to maintain the high quality of inventory stored. Empire will employ a workforce of over 440 people with anticipated growth to over 510 employees within ten years. The facility plans to be fully operational by the fourth quarter of 2018. Anticipated investment in building and equipment is over $52 million.


Billijack Bell
       The Empire facility is the first build-to-suit deal for three-year-old Core5 Industrial Properties. The site was a three-parcel property, totally 70 acres, upon which Core5 initially planned to build a speculative distribution facility.
        However, prior to closing on the site and beginning speculative construction, they pitched the site to Empire Distributors for a build-to-suit.
        The driving factor for Empire was its proximity to Atlanta’s population base; the multiple access points, including Thornton Road, Riverside Parkway and Fulton Industrial Boulevard; and, proximity to Empire’s existing facility, which enhanced employee retention and the ability to custom design the building to Empire’s specifications.

The design team for the building is Randall Paulson Architects and Southeast Engineering, Inc. The site work contractor is Plateau Excavating, and the general contractor is KBDG, Inc.
     “This is a terrific project for Core5 and for KBD Group who has partnered with Core5 to build the facility”, states Lisa Ward, Senior Vice President and Managing Director for Core5.
      Representing Core5 on the land assemblage was Bilijack Bell of Wilson, Hull & Neal Real Estate. Blaine Kelley of CBRE represented Empire Distributors on the acquisition of the facility.

 Core5 Industrial Partners is an industrial real estate property company with expertise in development and acquisition of Class-A industrial properties throughout the United States.

Blaine Kelley
Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and named for its five core business principles, the company has current development pipeline of over 5 million square feet of Class-A industrial facilities in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles/Inland Empire, Memphis, Pennsylvania and South Florida, Core5 has developed over 10 million square feet since its inception in just under three years.

Expansion plans include additional key logistic hubs throughout the US. For information on Core5 Industrial Partners, visit www.c5ip.com.
Empire Distributors is a wholesale beverage distributor that serves Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee in the Southeast and represents over 1,000 brands from around the world. For more information, visit www.empiredist.com
     Contact Lisa Ward with Core5 Industrial Partners at lward@c5ip.com or 404-262-5430 for additional information.

For more information, please contact:

RITA SKAGGS

RED DART Real Estate Consulting
404.788.3231


DAUM Commercial Completes 104,000-SF Industrial Lease to International Supply Firm in Rancho Dominguez, CA


Michael Collins

            RANCHO DOMINGUEZ, CA – DAUM Commercial Real Estate Services has completed the 10-year lease of a recently-renovated 104,339 square-foot industrial building in the South Los Angeles County submarket of Rancho Dominguez, California on behalf of the lessor, Industrial Property Trust (IPT), according to Michael Collins, Vice Chairman of DAUM Commercial and Manager of the firm’s South Bay office.
Collins represented IPT, a REIT operated by Denver-based real estate investment firm Black Creek Group, along with Jordan Lara, a First Vice President at DAUM’s South Bay office, and part of the LARA Team. The new tenant, Apex International, a global supply chain solutions provider, is relocating and expanding from a nearby 34,500 square-foot facility. 


Jordan Lara
“The lease to Apex International continues to prove the strength of this investment for our Client,” explains Collins. “The Los Angeles West/South industrial submarket posted a steady sub-two-percent vacancy rate in Q4 of last year, and asking rents have increased nearly 10 percent over the past year.
"Based on our long-term relationship with the lessor and experience in the South LA region’s industrial market, we were able to identify and secure an ideal, high-quality tenant concurrently with the completion of our Client’s $2.5 million in capital improvements to optimize the building for today’s industrial users.”
DAUM directed the acquisition of the property to IPT in January 2017 for $12 million. The asset is currently valued near $20 million, according to Collins.


Steve Young
“With this lease, the tenant has the opportunity to occupy a modernized industrial building in close proximity to the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach,” continues Collins.
DAUM worked under the direction of Steve Young, an Asset Manager at Black Creek Group, to negotiate with the tenant to ensure a successful lease transaction, notes Collins.
The recent renovations to the building included the demolition of a portion of the building to expand the truck court, addition of dock-high loading doors, and the construction of 10,000 square-feet of new two-story office space, which replaced outdated offices, according to Young.
The asset also features warehouse clearance up to 26 feet, a secure fenced yard, and a calculated sprinkler system throughout. The location of the property provides direct access to I-710 and I-405.
The total consideration of the lease is approximately $10.5 million, and it is scheduled to commence on May 1. Frank Shen of Realty Advisors represented Apex International as the lessee in this transaction.
The property is located at 18554 South Susana Road in Rancho Dominguez, California.

For more information, please contact:

Lindsay Mackay / Elisabeth Manville
(949) 955-7940

Meta Housing Corp. Completes Affordable Apartment Community in Signal Hill, CA


Traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Signal Hill Mayor
 Edward H. J. Wilson (center)  at opening of Zinnia apartments, 
Signal Hill, CA

SIGNAL HILL, CA – Meta Housing Corporation has completed Zinnia, a 72-unit affordable apartment community in Signal Hill, California. The Studio One Eleven designed community will provide quality housing to low income families throughout the City of Signal Hill, according to Kasey Burke, President of Meta Housing Corporation.

Kasey M. Burke
“Housing affordability continues to be a critical issue for communities throughout the U.S.,” says Burke. “City of Signal Hill has been an instrumental partner on Zinnia since the project’s inception. Through this collaboration, we are able to effectively address the need for more affordable housing in Signal Hill.”
Located in close proximity to local transit options, Zinnia was designed with a focus on community engagement, walkability, and sustainable design.
“As with all Meta communities, we focused on thoughtful integration of elements that encourage engagement with community residents as well as the surrounding neighborhood,” explains Burke. 

Zinnia Apartments, Signal Hill, CA



“The iconic community building, outdoor patio, community garden, playground, and mini dog park encourage opportunities for social interaction amongst residents. Zinnia is a vital addition to the City’s planned redevelopment of the area around their civic center and is immediately adjacent to Signal Hill Elementary School.”
Zinnia achieved Gold-level LEED for Homes certification, according to Meta Housing Corporation’s Executive Vice President, Chris Maffris.

Chris Maffris
“We’re proud to bring sustainable, much-needed affordable housing for families to Signal Hill,” says Maffris.  “As a company, we remain committed to smart growth, through a focus on transit-oriented communities, and environmentally sound, cost efficient design.”
Financing for the project was provided by the City of Signal Hill, California Tax Credit Allocation Committee and Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
“Bank of America Merrill Lynch, a leading financier of affordable housing, provided short term construction financing and a long-term equity investment to help make Zinnia affordably priced for working families to call Signal Hill home,” says Charmaine Atherton, Senior Vice President, Bank of America Merrill Lynch Community Development Bank.


Charmaine Atherton
Social services offered at Zinnia include educational classes on employment preparation, financial literacy, life skills, health, wellness and fitness programs and after school programs for youth such as tutoring. The apartment community is located at 1500 E. Hill Street in Signal Hill, California.

       Since 1993, Meta Housing Corporation has established itself as one of Southern California’s most experienced and trusted developers of apartment communities for families and seniors, developing more than 6,000 residential units. 

For more information, please contact:

Lindsay Mackay ·  Account Coordinator 
O 949 955 7940 
Brower Group, Inc.
The Smart Agency™ for Smart Clients who want Smart Work
895 Dove Street, Third Floor · Newport Beach, CA 92660