McDONOUGH, GA-Chicago-based First industrial Realty Trust Inc., which owns 12 million sf of industrial real estate in metro Atlanta, has rung up a total 448,949 sf in a 30-day Southeast leasing run. A total 427,049 sf was leased in metro Atlanta.

A First Industrial representative was trying to assess the estimated value of the five leases for GlobeSt.com at publication deadline. However, Atlanta area industrial brokers familiar with the developer's area properties tell GlobeSt.com the estimated aggregate value of the five transactions was at least $5 million. The brokers based their estimate on an average effective rent of $2.50 per sf over an estimated average lease length of at least five years.

In the two largest transactions, the J.M. Smucker Co. of Orville, OH signed a 240,000-sf lease at 220 Greenwood Court, a food-related products distribution warehouse within Greenwood Industrial Park in McDonough, Henry County. Public Special Commodities Inc. is taking 111,435 sf at the 4071 Building in the Southmeadow Business Park, 4701 Southmeadow Parkway in South Fulton County.

At Greenwood Industrial Park, Smucker, a 109-year-old company, is partnering with 3PL DSC Logistics in operating the warehouse, says Thomas C. Hines, First Industrial's marketing and leasing director. "It's an ideal location [for the tenants] since it is just south of Atlanta, immediately off I-75 south, and a direct route into the large Florida consumer market," Hines says. Brokers Steve Grable, Chris Tomasulo, Sean Boswell, Mike Spears and Lyn Reich of Colliers Spectrum Cauble handled the transaction.

At Southmeadow Business Park, Public Special Commodities was attracted to the space because of the park's proximity to both Camp Creek and Interstate 285, says Hines. "The functional front-load configuration [at the 4071 Building] is ideal for their operations." The tenant is a warehouser and 3PL supplier of plumbing products. Brokers Chad Burd of CB Richard Ellis Inc. and Douglas Biggs, Sean Boswell and Grable of Colliers Spectrum Gable handled the transaction.

Unbind Ltd., a Belgian-based document design company, has leased 52,000 sf for 8.5 years at 11820 Wills Rd., Hember Crest in the Alpharetta submarket of North Fulton County. The company serves customers on six continents and throughout 100 nations, according to Chris Miller, First Industrial's marketing and leasing manager. Brokers Shan Gastineau of the Staubach Co. and Pat Murphy of CB Richard Ellis Inc. handled the transaction.

"Because Atlanta is the North American headquarters for Unibind, First Industrial had a somewhat difficult requirement," Gastineau says. "Unbind needed a good-sized warehouse with an emphasis on heavy office." The broker says First Industrial identified three "high-quality possibilities in its portfolio and then worked with Unibind to select the best scenario and put a winning structure together to meet their needs."

In Roswell, 10 miles north of Downtown Atlanta, Camera Networks Inc. of Dunwoody has leased 23,614 sf at the 1250 Northmeadow Parkway building in the 824,727-sf Northmeadow Business Park. CBRE's Murphy brokered the transaction. "Many companies, such as Camvera Networks, want a building that reflects their company image, but also want functional storage or assembly space," Murphy says. "There really isn't a better choice in the 400 Corridor than Northmeadow to achieve these goals."

At the Research Triangle Industrial Center in North Carolina, First Industrial signed Active Data Services Inc. of Morrisville, NC to a 21,900-sf lease for FirstCal 2, a new joint venture between First Industrial and the California State Teachers Retirement System of Sacramento.