And taking into consideration the consistent growth of itsbusiness, the company also decided to expand its take on space by100,000 sf, bringing its total occupancy up to 300,000 sf. Theadditional space will be spread out among several buildings withinthe 330,000-sf industrial park.

Swales, which provides aerospace engineering services togovernment and private concerns, relied on commercial real estateconsulting service provider Scheer Partners Inc. to negotiate thelease with property owner Paulen Industrial Center LLC, and tosurvey other office options in the area. "Swales reviewed theentire Prince George's market but concluded that due to theirsignificant investment in their existing space, if they couldsecure expansion for the future and come to agreement on price,then it would be worth staying put and expanding within the PIC,"David McClatchy, senior vice president with Scheer Partners andSwales' real estate representative, tells GlobeSt.com.

Specific terms of the new lease have not been disclosed;however, current average market rates in the area provide an ideaof what Scheer and Swales were faced with when looking around atother properties. According to Advantis Real Estate Services Co.,flex space in Beltsville goes for an average of $9.75 per sftriple-net, while the average for warehouse properties is $5.75 persf.