New Deals Boost Office Building to 95% Leased

The tenants are insurance advisory firm Burnham Benefits, law firm Gordon & Rees LLP, the Scotts Co. lawn and garden company, commercial real estate services firm 360 Commercial Partners and law firm Connor, Fletcher & Williams. The leases range from three and a half to 10 years at rental rates that were undisclosed. Asking rates for the building are $2.50 to $2.75 per square foot per month.

Burnham Benefits signed for 13,400 square feet and was represented by Jake Stickel of CB Richard Ellis. Gordon & Rees LLP signed for 13,200 square feet and was represented by Wade and Ronda Clark of Jones Lang LaSalle.

Managing partner Matthew Murphey of the Orange County office of Gordon & Rees, which has had an Orange County presence since 2002, said that the law firm looked at many buildings in the vicinity near John Wayne Airport and felt that the 2211 Michelson building, "being recently constructed and, more importantly, a green building, fit nicely with our firm's efforts toward conservation and our emerging Green Practice Group." Murphey said the building also offers room for expansion for the law firm.

The Scotts Co. signed for 7,200 square feet and was represented by Ross Bourne of CBRE, while Connor, Fletcher & Williams signed for 6,300 square feet and was represented by Steve Card of Travers Realty. Scotts is a new business unit of a national company and is a relocation to Orange County.

The other newly formed firm is 360 Commercial Partners, which signed for 3,600 square feet. The founder and managing partner of the firm is Louis Tomaselli, a 24-year industry veteran and former broker with Voit Commercial Real Estate Services.

Bob Thagard and Jay Carnahan of Orion Property Partners and Dave Whitney of Lee & Associates represented the building in the marketplace throughout its lease-up. Local Hines managers Roger DeWames and Ray Lawler led the lease-up effort for Hines.