ProLogis Strikes Quadruple Slam Dunk for 143,135 SF

The signings just happened to fall practically back to back, Dayton Conklin, ProLogis' vice president in Dallas, tells GlobeSt.com. The leasing momentum definitely has picked up from fourth quarter 2001 when companies were content to sit back and warily watch the national scene. "Now that 2002's here, people are moving forward and activity is strong," says Conklin, the ProLogis broker for the leasing flurry. He has more deals in the pipeline, some of which will be closing within two weeks. In each case, he says the tenant wanted the deal to move quickly once wheels started turning at the end of 2001.

Nissan Diesel of America Inc. grabbed the largest spot of the quadruple hit, 40,900 sf at the 383,425-sf Freeport Corporate Center I at 9500 N. Royal Lane in Irving. Stiff competition and a backsliding submarket has 250,000 sf still vacant at a project that delivered in early 2001.

Nissan will move into its automobile parts distribution site in 30 days while the local operation gets positioned to take over some of the flow from a New Jersey site, according to Conklin. Ian Russell of the Ian Russell Co. in Dallas represented Nissan.

MasterBrand Cabinets racked up the second-largest lease, 40,000 sf for the two-building, 352,000-sf Arlington Corporate Center along E. Randol Mill Road in the Great Southwest Industrial Park. MasterBrand is the first tenant for the 176,000-sf Arlington Corporate Center 2 at 3701 E. Randol Mill Rd., which came to market in November 2001. Its sister building is half leased.

MasterBrand will move in Feb. 15 in a relocation of its kitchen and bath distributorship from an older building at the crossroads of Redhawk and Interstate 360 in South Arlington. Buddy Turner of Dallas-based Mohr Partners brokered the deal for MasterBrand.

Roger Ward North American Van Lines is taking nearly half of the 66,270-sf Northgate Distribution Center 11 at 1036 Nicholson Rd. in Garland. The moving and storage company is relocating from within the immediate area and downsizing from 50,000 sf to 33,045 sf into the three-month-old warehouse project. The reason, Conklin says, is because part of the operation is being shifted to its San Antonio headquarters location. Move-in is set for the end of this month. Tom Lucas of the Harry B. Lucas Co. represented the tenant.

In early March, Konica Business Technologies Inc. slides into 29,190 sf of the 131,000-sf Valwood Distribution Center 8, positioned at 1210 Champion Circle in Carrollton's section of the Valwood Industrial Park. ProLogis acquired the mid-1980s product in November from New York Life Insurance Co. The building is 65% leased. Jean Russo of Cushman & Wakefield of Texas Inc. negotiated on the tenant's behalf.