The demand for space in CenterPoint Commerce & Trade Park has prompted Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services to break ground for a 108,800 square foot speculative flex building. The brand new, state-of-the-art facility will be located on 18.48 acres in Pittston Township along Enterprise Way in CenterPoint West, near The Home Depot’s regional distribution center.
The new building will be the first constructed on speculation in Northeastern Pennsylvania in 2011.
Mericle Vice President of Marketing Jim Cummings said said CenterPoint’s success led to the company’s decision to build the new facility. “Vacancy rates in the park are very low, said Cummings. Twenty five companies have moved into the park since 2006 and we are running low on available flex space. We want to make sure we have options available when companies show interest in the park.”
Cummings said the new flex building has been designed so that it can accommodate office, distribution, and manufacturing businesses. “The building will have an attractive, architecturally designed front with lots of windows and can be subdivided to as small as 6,400 square feet,” he said.
The building will feature ceiling clear heights ranging from 30′ to 33′, 16 loading doors, energy efficient T-bay lighting fixtures, energy efficient gas fired unit heaters and a high-density sprinkler system. Construction is expected to be completed this fall.
The new building will be the 19th constructed in CenterPoint since 2006. The 25 companies in the park together employ approximately 2,500 workers.
Cummings says Mericle plans to construct more spec buildings in CenterPoint to ensure that the area can compete effectively for new jobs. “Inquiries and client tours are on the rise and CenterPoint continues to be a sought after location, he said. The competition from other states is intense so we will make sure we have spaces available in all shapes and sizes.”
He said a region’s ability to provide quality space quickly is often what wins new jobs.
“Companies often don’t anticipate their growth and are therefore faced with extremely tight time frames to find and occupy space, he said. Mericle’s speculative development in CenterPoint gives Northeastern Pennsylvania a significant advantage when we compete against other states for jobs.”
Mericle recently announced that it had signed a lease for its 198,400 square foot spec building at 100-124 Capital Road in CenterPoint East with United Sporting Companies (USC) of Chapin, South Carolina, one of the nation’s leading sporting goods companies.
Founded by Robert K. Mericle in 1985, Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services has developed more than 19 million square feet of industrial, office and flex space. More than 13,400 people work in the buildings developed by Mericle in Northeastern Pennsylvania.