Company News

BETHESDA, MD. AND ATLANTA — Elme Communities (NYSE: ELME), a Maryland-based multifamily owner-operator that previously operated as WashREIT, has entered into a purchase and sale agreement with an affiliate of Cortland Partners, an Atlanta-based multifamily investment and management firm. Under the terms of the transaction, Elme would sell 19 apartment communities to Cortland for $1.6 billion in an all-cash deal. “We are pleased to have reached an agreement with Cortland that recognizes the greater value of these 19 Elme communities and their long-term potential when coupled with Cortland’s economies of scale,” says Paul McDermott, president and CEO of Elme. “We believe Cortland will be an excellent steward of the properties and that this sale will facilitate a seamless transition of ownership, enabling continuity of operations for our residents and community teams.” Steven DeFrancis, CEO of Cortland, said that the portfolio will grow the company’s presence in the Washington, D.C., region and in its home state of Georgia.  “We’re excited to welcome these communities into the Cortland family and deliver the exceptional living experience residents have come to expect from our brand,” says DeFrancis. The properties include: Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Jones Lang LaSalle Securities LLC are acting as …

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LAFAYETTE, GA. — Pilgrim’s, a global food company primarily known for producing and processing chicken and pork, will invest $400 million for the construction of a new prepared foods facility located in the northwestern corner of Georgia in LaFayette, about 30 miles south of Chattanooga, Tenn. Situated within Walker County Business Park, the multi-phase development is expected to create more than 630 new jobs at full capacity. The project is scheduled to break ground in the fall, and hiring is expected to begin in 2027, aligning with the scheduled completion of the first phase of construction. Lori Dowdy, in partnership with the Walker County Development Authority and Georgia Quick Start, internally represented the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s (GDEcD) Global Commerce team in the Pilgrim’s deal. Pilgrim’s currently operates seven food production facilities across Georgia, employing roughly 7,500 people.

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NASHVILLE, TENN. AND COLUMBUS, GA. — Pinnacle Financial Partners (NASDAQ: PNFP) and Synovus Financial Corp. (NYSE: SNV) have entered into a definitive agreement to combine operations in an all-stock transaction valued at $8.6 billion. The price reflects the closing stock prices for the two companies on July 21, the latest date unaffected by the merger announcement — $116.83 per share for Pinnacle and $55.53 for Synovus. Under terms of the agreement, Pinnacle shareholders will own approximately 51.5 percent of the combined company, which will operate under the Pinnacle name and trade under the PNFP ticker symbol on the New York Stock Exchange. Pinnacle Financial will move its headquarters to Atlanta while the retail bank branch division of the combined company, which will operate under the Pinnacle Bank brand, will be based in Nashville. As of June 30, Synovus operates 244 bank branches in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee. Pinnacle operates 179 bank branches in Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky and Florida, according to the FDIC. The Pinnacle-Synovus merger will create the largest bank holding company in Georgia and the largest bank in Tennessee. The transaction, which is expected to close in first-quarter 2026, has …

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One Rosslyn

ARLINGTON, VA. — Penzance, a locally based commercial real estate development and management firm, has received approval from Arlington County for a proposed three-tower, luxury mixed-use development in Arlington’s Rosslyn district. Dubbed One Rosslyn, the new development will deliver more than 970,000 square feet of rental apartments, for-sale residential condominiums and retail space along Gateway Park, which will replace the current Rosslyn Gateway office buildings. Upon completion, One Rosslyn will deliver a total of 845 residential units. Penzance is developing the project in partnership with Boston-based investment manager The Baupost Group. STUDIOS Architecture and Hickok Cole collaborated to design the three-tower composition. One Rosslyn’s south tower will stand the tallest at 300 feet, while delivering 461 residences across 434,000 square feet. The northwest apartment tower, which is the second tallest building, will span 356,000 square feet and include 311 rental units. Lastly, the project’s northeast tower will offer 73 for-sale condominiums across 195,000 square feet. Residents will also have access to a private, 30,000-square-foot landscaped terrace overlooking Gateway Park. Additionally, the ground level will provide more than 14,000 square feet of curated retail space along all four blocks of the property. Designed to enhance walkability and encourage multimodal transportation, public spaces …

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The-Terraces_Dallas

DALLAS AND VANCOUVER — City Office REIT (NYSE: CIO), a Canadian company focused on the acquisition, ownership and operation of office properties in Sun Belt markets in the United States, has entered into a merger agreement valued at $1.1 billion.  Under the terms of the agreement, MCME Carell Holdings LP and MCME Carell Holdings LLC — collectively a joint venture between South Florida-based firms Elliott Investment Management LP and Morning Calm Management LLC — will acquire all issued and outstanding shares of City Office REIT common stock for $7 per share in cash. The company’s stock price closed on Tuesday, July 23 at $5.56 per share, roughly the same as a year ago. City Office REIT’s current portfolio comprises 54 office buildings totaling roughly 5.4 million square feet of net rentable space in the Dallas, Denver, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, Raleigh, San Diego, Seattle and Tampa markets. The company’s U.S. headquarters is located in Dallas.  Terms of the merger agreement include the sale of City Office’s Phoenix portfolio. Upon close, City Office will become a private company and its shares will no longer trade on the New York Stock Exchange.  “After conducting an extensive process to explore potential strategic alternatives, we …

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EL PASO, TEXAS AND ATLANTA — Hunts Cos. Inc. has acquired a controlling interest in Carter, a mixed-use and residential real estate investment and development firm based in Atlanta. The El Paso-based firm is acquiring the majority stake in Carter and buying out longtime CEO and chairman Bob Peterson, who has subsequently announced his retirement. Current CEO and president Scott Taylor will continue to oversee the day-to-day operations at Carter post-acquisition. Terms of the transaction were not released. The partnership aims to grow Carter’s banking relationships, expand the company’s mixed-use development platform and secure additional investment opportunities in key markets. Hunt Cos. and Carter have previously collaborated on Prospect Lake Wire, a 22-acre mixed-use development underway in Lakeland, Fla., and for The DeSOTA, a luxury apartment development in Sarasota, Fla.

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Lima One Capital office headquarters

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Lima One Capital, a direct private lender specializing in financing for real estate investors, has relocated to a 60,000-square-foot office space at 300 E. McBee Ave. in downtown Greenville, which has been redeveloped by Hughes Commercial Property. Lima’s new headquarters, which is also home to Prisma Health’s corporate headquarters, STIR restaurant and Ameris Bank, will house more than 200 of its employees on the second and third floors of the building. Lima One has been headquartered in Greenville since 2011 and is relocating from its current offices at 201 E. McBee and a nearby downtown satellite location. The company had originally signed on to anchor the $1 billion Greenville County Square development but terminated its lease last fall, according to Greenville News.

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Fundamental-Income

MIAMI BEACH, FLA. AND PHOENIX — Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD), an affiliate of global private investment firm Starwood Capital Group with a core focus on real estate and infrastructure, has announced plans to acquire Fundamental Income Properties for roughly $2.2 billion.  Starwood Property Trust has entered into a definitive agreement with Fundamental, a fully integrated net lease real estate owner and operator based in Phoenix. The transaction is expected to close on July 23, subject to customary closing conditions. Fundamental is currently owned by New York City-based Brookfield Asset Management.  Fundamental’s portfolio totals 12 million square feet across 467 properties in 44 states. The properties feature a weighted average lease term (WALT) of 17 years, with 2.2 percent average annual rent escalations. The portfolio was fully occupied by 92 tenants across 56 industries at the time of the agreement with Starwood.  As part of the acquisition, Starwood will assume Fundamental’s existing financing facilities, which total $1.3 billion, including $900 million of asset-backed security debt. Starwood plans to fund the remainder of the purchase price with a combination of cash and debt and equity capital.  Fundamental’s management team, which comprises 28 employees, will be retained by Starwood Property Trust. BofA …

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CoreWeave Lancaster AI Data Center

LANCASTER, PA. — CoreWeave (NASDAQ: CRWV), a New Jersey-based data center owner-operator, plans to invest “more than $6 billion” in a new purpose-built artificial intelligence (AI) data center in Lancaster, about 80 miles west of Philadelphia. CoreWeave plans to lease the site, which will be co-developed by Chirisa Technology Parks and Machine Investment Group. Located at 216 Greenfield Rd. and 1375 Harrisburg Pike, the Lancaster facility will replace the former LSC Communications and R.R. Donnelley printing plants, which comprises a combined 1.5 million square feet of industrial space across 144 acres, according to Lancaster Online. The data center will have the capacity to consume 100 megawatts (MW) of power, with the potential to expand to 300 MW, representing one of the first large-scale data centers of its kind in the region, according to CoreWeave. CoreWeave’s announcement came during the CEO roundtable with President Donald Trump at Senator Dave McCormick’s inaugural Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit, hosted at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. “This Energy and Innovation Summit is a powerful testament to Pennsylvania’s readiness and ability to lead — to generate thousands of good-paying jobs, to unleash our incredible energy resources and to power the next AI and economic revolution, further …

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ElmTree-Funds

NEW YORK CITY AND ST. LOUIS — New York City-based investment manager BlackRock Inc. (NYSE: BLK) has announced plans to acquire net-lease real estate investment firm ElmTree Funds. BlackRock has entered into a definitive agreement with ElmTree, which has $7.3 billion in total assets under management as of March 31. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2025, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. Established in 2011 and based in St. Louis, ElmTree owns and operates real estate properties, with a focus on single-tenant, build-to-suit industrial assets. ElmTree’s portfolio includes investments in 122 properties across 31 states.  Additionally, ElmTree’s portfolio includes six office locations. BlackRock’s upfront consideration will be paid primarily in stock, with the potential for additional consideration subject to ElmTree Funds’ performance over the next five years. Additional financial details were not disclosed. Upon closing of the deal, ElmTree will be integrated into Private Financing Solutions (PFS), a new platform created through BlackRock’s combination with HPS Investment Partners. (BlackRock completed its acquisition of investment firm HPS earlier this month.)  “The net lease market is estimated at $1 trillion, and our continued belief in the industrial build-to-suit model is rooted in the mission-critical …

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