DETROIT — Michigan State University (MSU) has partnered with Apple to open the Apple Manufacturing Academy this summer in downtown Detroit’s First National Building. The academy will offer free in-person and online courses and will be the first of its kind in the United States. While based in Detroit, the academy will be open to companies nationwide. Apple engineers, along with experts from MSU, will consult with small- and medium-sized businesses on how they can implement artificial intelligence and smart manufacturing techniques. MSU also partners with Apple on the Apple Developer Academy, with support from the Gilbert Family Foundation. This academy, located in downtown Detroit, has graduated roughly 200 participants annually since 2021.
PORTLAND AND EDINBURG, TEXAS — Houston-based brokerage firm Baker Katz has arranged two leases in South Texas for Olive Garden. The first deal is for a 7,805-square-foot restaurant in Portland, located outside of Corpus Christi, and the second deal is for a 7,825-square-foot space in the Rio Grande Valley city of Edinburg. Lynann Pinkham of Cravey Real Estate Services represented the landlord in the Portland transaction, and Ron Reimer of First Hartford Realty represented the landlord in the Edinburg transaction. Jason Baker and Traci Holman of Baker Katz represented the parent company and operator, Orlando-based Darden Restaurants Inc. The openings are slated for the second quarter of 2025 and sometime in 2026, respectively.
MCDONOUGH, GA. — Halpern Enterprises has completed a 6,486-square-foot, multi-tenant retail strip center located at 5905 E. Lake Parkway in McDonough, a southern suburb of Atlanta. The three-tenant property is part of the 20-acre North McDonough Village mixed-use development. The property features a 2,486-square-foot Starbucks Coffee with a drive-thru, a 2,000-square-foot available space and a 2,000-square-foot dentist’s office. Starbucks recently opened for business at the center on a 10-year lease. Brad Oppenheimer led the project on behalf of Halpern and secured the lease with Starbucks. Palmer Bayless of Emerge Real Estate Services represented Starbucks in the lease negotiations.
DENTON, TEXAS — Lotte Global Logistics has signed a 227,420-square-foot, full-building industrial lease at I-35 Convergence Park in the North Texas city of Denton. The speculative facility is located within Westpark Industrial Park. Joe Yoon of Realty Bank Group represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. Chris Teesdale, Tom Pearson and Ben Wallace of Colliers represented the landlord, Dallas-based Hunt Southwest. The other building at I-35 Convergence Park totals 250,080 square feet and was leased in 2021.
MURPHY, TEXAS — Dallas-based EōS Fitness will open a 43,801-square-foot gym in Murphy, a northeastern suburb of Dallas. EōS Fitness is backfilling a space previously occupied by 24 Hour Fitness at 229 E. FM 544, which according to LoopNet Inc. was originally constructed on a 6.8-acre site in 2008. Segovia Partners, a brokerage firm with offices in Dallas, Chicago and Jupiter, Fla., negotiated the lease. The opening is slated for some time in 2026.
DOUGLASVILLE, GA. — Lee & Associates has arranged an 88,300-square-foot industrial lease at 9850 Commerce Way in Douglasville, roughly 22 miles west of Atlanta. Joseph Mullican and Lee Steed of Lee & Associates’ Atlanta office represented the tenant, Peco Fasteners, a distributor of industrial fasteners and electrical products, in the lease negotiations. The landlord was Ridgeland, Miss.-based EastGroup Properties and the deal totaled $10.7 million, according to Lee & Associates.
ORLANDO, FLA. — CP Group has signed General Dynamics Corp., a publicly traded aerospace and defense corporation, to a 50,368-square-foot office lease renewal in Orlando. The Reston, Va.-based tenant will continue to occupy Resource Square III, an office building located within Central Florida Research Park. Diane Drobia and Chris Sproles of CBRE represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. Madison Kimbell of JLL represented CP Group. In addition to General Dynamics, other recent leases at Resource Square III include American Electronic Warfare Associates Inc. signing a 10,420-square-foot lease and Florida Office Group renewing its 4,249-square-foot lease. Central Florida Research Park is situated adjacent to the University of Central Florida (UCF). CP Group has owned Resource Square I and III within the park since January 2020.
NEW YORK CITY — Specialist Staffing Group, which coordinates talent placement within the STEM fields, has signed a 13,715-square-foot office lease in Lower Manhattan. The space is located on the 79th floor of One World Trade Center. Scott Bogetti and William Demuth of Savills represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. David Falk, Peter Shimkin, Hal Stein, Jason Greenstein and Nathan Krop of Newmark, along with internal agents Eric Engelhardt and Karen Rose, represented the landlord, a partnership between The Durst Organization and The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey.
RAYTOWN, MO. — Block & Co. Inc. Realtors has secured a 35,000-square-foot location for Me 2 You Career Academy in the Kansas City suburb of Raytown. The fast-track healthcare program that provides debt-free education has moved to 9808 E. 66th Terrace and 9817 E. 66th St. Me 2 You is a Missouri Department of Higher Education-accredited institution established in 2021. The new location provides a larger and improved space to support the academy’s employees, students and overall program growth. Garrett Cohoon of Block & Co. represented the tenant in the lease, while Bill Maas of Block & Co. represented the undisclosed landlord.
BENSENVILLE, ILL. — Lee & Associates has negotiated a 25,631-square-foot industrial lease at 1071 Thorndale Ave. in the Chicago suburb of Bensenville. The lease brings the property to full occupancy. Chris Nelson of Lee & Associates represented the landlord, Prologis. Jeff Fischer of KBC Advisors represented the tenant, McDonald Associates Inc., an Elk Grove-based electrical manufacturer’s representative company focused on providing sales and warehousing solutions for clients.