Dramatic Turnaround in SE Wisconsin

CHICAGO—The industrial markets in the city of Chicago and its immediate suburbs always attract notice. But just over the state’s northern border, and still just within the city’s metropolitan area, residents in Wisconsin towns like Kenosha and Pleasant Prairie have seen a relatively quiet boom take hold among the 47,939,500-square-feet of industrial space in their immediate area.   

“It’s the hottest market in the area,” says Whit Heitman, a principal with Chicago-based Paine/Wetzel/TCN Worldwide. He recently helped complete a 314,249-square-foot lease to Integrated Merchandising Systems in a 626,784-square-foot industrial facility located at 10100 58^th Place in Kenosha. The original owner built it on spec about five years ago, but was unable to find tenants, and, like too many buildings in the neighborhood, the vast structure was left vacant. But with the new lease, IMS now entirely occupies 10100 58^th Place, and fully-occupied buildings have become common in Southeast Wisconsin.