GM Supplier Exits Grand Prairie for 192,000 SF in AllianceTexas

HASLET, TX-AllianceTexas has roped a tenant to backfill a 192,000-sf building that’s been sitting empty since late 2001. Hillwood’s good news is bad news for the Assured Group, owner of a 100,000-plus-sf industrial structure in Grand Prairie.

Come July, Goshen, IN-based Tecstar will begin moving into the former SC Johnson & Son Inc. facility. Westport 4 at 125 Intermodal Parkway in Haslet, GlobeSt.com has been told by an inside source for the inbound tenant.

Tecstar, a firm jointly owned by Starcraft Corp. and Wheel-to-Wheel of the Detroit area, is operating out of a 35-year-old industrial building at 2302 E. Pacific Ave. It’s one of 29 office and warehouse buildings, totaling 1.8 million sf, owned by the Assured Group, led by principal Ray Valk of DeSoto. In addition to the DFW portfolio, Valk’s Assured Business Park banner flies over self-storage facilities in North Texas, Austin and Southern California.

Tecstar’s Grand Prairie operation produces up-fit appearance packages for GM Suburban and Tahoe sport-utility vehicles. According to Tecstar, its existing supply contract with Arlington’s GM plant runs through 2006. The expansion, says the company, is indicative of the strong demand for the SUV market. Starcraft, through Tecstar, is a leading supplier for the OEM automotive supply market as well as parts and conversion kits for custom vans and pickups.

Tecstar’s new home came to market in November 2001 when SC Johnson, headquartered in Racine, WI, relocated to a 408,000-sf build-to-suit right across the way in Alliance’s Westport section, a particularly attractive distribution address due to its positioning near the Burlington Northern Santa Fe’s intermodal yard. SC Johnson spent four years in the building, using it for a six-state distribution hub for household cleaning products.