GE Energy Brings Crossroads to 100% Occupancy

MEMPHIS, TN-The first building at Crossroads Distribution Center has reached full occupancy. General Electric took down the remaining 212,880 square feet of space, joining Smiths Medical in Building A.

GE is relocating from another business park in DeSoto County where it leased 60,000 square feet. GE Energy’s Wind Services business will use the expanded and LEED-certified space in the Memphis industrial market, which includes nearby DeSoto County, MS.

Lisa Harber of CBRE Atlanta and Patrick Burke of CBRE Memphis represented GE in the lease transaction. Tim Moore represented IDI, the developer.

“The 170 million-square-foot Memphis industrial market stabilized and began to improve over the past four quarters,” says Moore, the vice president of leasing in IDI’s Memphis office who inked the deal. “Strong leasing activity by tenants including General Electric, Nike, Cummins and Anda Pharmaceutical contributed to over one million square feet of activity for bulk warehouse space in the third quarter of 2011.”

Crossroads Distribution Center Building A received LEED Silver Certification from the US Green Building Council in 2009 and is the newest distribution facility in the Memphis area to receive this designation. Sustainable features of the building include skylights and white TPO roofing. Moore says the sustainable design, efficient site layout, location and proximity to amenities helped the building reach full occupancy.

“GE was looking to expand and liked the location of Crossroads Distribution Center within the DeSoto County submarket,” Moore says. “The fact that we could offer them a LEED-certified space with green building features appealed to them given their use of the space for the company’s alternative energy business.”

Crossroads Distribution Center is a class A, master planned business park with a total of 1.25 million square feet currently developed in Buildings A and F, both of which are LEED-certified. Earlier this year, IDI announced plans to build a 234,000-square-foot pharmaceutical distribution facility for Watson Pharmaceuticals and a distribution division at Crossroads. When fully developed, Crossroads Distribution Center will be home to approximately seven million square feet of space.

“Future buildings will include cross-docked bulk facilities from approximately 800,000 square feet to smaller single-loading buildings divisible to 50,000 square feet,” Moore says. “Facilities will be designed with industry-standard features such as ample trailer parking, 32-foot clear heights and ESFR sprinkler systems, but will also include sustainable features to achieve LEED certification and long-term tenant value.”