ALTOONA, IOWA — Sealy & Co. has acquired the newly constructed Altus Commerce Center in Altoona, a northeast suburb of Des Moines. The purchase price was undisclosed. The industrial facility totals 265,700 square feet and features a clear height of 32 feet, 135-foot truck court, 26 dock-high doors and two drive-in doors. Jason Gandy and Davis Gibbs of Sealy led the transaction. Mark Long and John Hassler of Newmark represented the seller, VanTrust Real Estate. In honor of VanTrust, Sealy is making a significant contribution to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation to commemorate the transaction.
By Scott Olson, Skogman Commercial Despite a derecho, a pandemic, inflation, supply chain issues and a possible recession, Cedar Rapids continues its rapid growth as evidenced by the ranking by “American Growth Project 2023” as a top 15 fastest-growing mid-size U.S. city. But, its other national rankings are just as impressive: • 23rd-Best Run City in U.S. (wallethub.com, 2023) • Top 100 Best Places to Live in America (Livability, 2023) • 23rd-Best Place to Raise a Family (wallethub.com, 2023) • 13th-Best City to Buy a House (niche.com, 2023) • Ranked No. 21 of Cities with Lowest Cost of Living (Business Insider, 2023) • A Cleanest U.S. City by Short-Term Particle Pollution (American Lung Association, 2023) • Two Nationally Ranked Medical Centers: St. Luke’s Hospital and Mercy Medical Center (PINC Al/Fortune and Newsweek, 2023) • Top 50 Best City for Jobs in America (wallethub.com, 2023) • No. 22 Safest City in America (wallethub.com, 2022) • Best Tasting Drinking Water in Iowa (Iowa Section, American Water Works 2022) In addition to these rankings, Cedar Rapids is also continuing to make major progress on recovery from previous national disasters: • 2008/2016 historic floods are resulting in the $750 million flood control system making …
WEST BURLINGTON, IOWA — An affiliate of Phoenix Investors has acquired a 365,640-square-foot industrial building in West Burlington, a city in Southwest Iowa. Constructed in 1955 with additions in 1964, 1966, 1980 and 1993, the building is located at 510 E. Agency Road. The Burlington Junction Railroad connects the property to the BNSF mainline about 1.5 miles north. The facility also features a variety of cranes. The sales price and seller were undisclosed.
URBANDALE, IOWA — WorldWide Logistics has opened its new 76,000-square-foot headquarters in Urbandale, a northwest suburb of Des Moines. The two-story building provides office space for corporate and customer service center teams that were previously housed in three separate buildings in Urbandale. Amenities include a café, collaborative areas, markets, outdoor patio and quarter-mile walking path. Established in 1999, WorldWide Logistics is a third-party logistics company. The Opus Group served as the design-builder, interior designer, architect and structural engineer.
COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA — Meristem Crop Performance Group LLC has inked a 42,810-square-foot industrial lease at 2101 S. 35th St. in Council Bluffs. The property is situated near I-29. Meristem is looking to expand its operations into metro Omaha. Kevin Stratman and Sydney Weller of Investors Realty represented the landlord, V & R Joint Venture.
LENOX, IOWA — Senior Living Investment Brokerage (SLIB) has negotiated the sale of Vintage Park, a 40-unit assisted living and memory care community in Lenox, about 25 miles north of the state border with Missouri. The sales price was undisclosed. The community totals 3,000 square feet on four acres. The seller was a local owner and operator looking to exit the seniors housing sector. The buyer was a joint venture between an East Coast investor and a Midwest operator. Nick Cacciabando of SLIB handled the transaction.
NORTHWOOD, IOWA — Marcus & Millichap has negotiated the sale of the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Northwood, a 60-room hotel in Northwood, a city in northern Iowa. The sales price was undisclosed. The property is located at 4712 Wheelerwood Road. Jon Ruzicka, Jake Erickson, Jared Plamann and Joseph Ferguson of Marcus & Millichap represented the undisclosed seller. The hotel sold to an out-of-state buyer.
WATERLOO, IOWA — Through real estate holding company JP Management Corp., Dignity Apparel LLC is purchasing a 77,000-square-foot manufacturing building in Waterloo, just south of Cedar Falls. The transaction, including remodeling space and purchasing equipment and software, represents a capital investment of $4.5 million. Dignity Apparel manufactures garments with domestically sourced fabrics for Image Pointe, its wholly owned subsidiary. The Iowa Economic Development Authority board awarded tax benefits for the acquisition through the High Quality Jobs program. Dignity Apparel plans to create 40 to 55 new jobs in Waterloo.
By Jeremy Spillman and Corey Sedrel, Capstone Commercial In a setting where I-80 and I-35 intersect to make up one of the busiest truck traffic intersections in the Midwest, Des Moines is well positioned to harness the power of manufacturing in Iowa to support several larger Midwest cities such as Chicago, Minneapolis, Kansas City, St. Louis and Omaha. As we see change in our global supply chains, manufacturers and distributors look to states like Iowa to support these changing environments where we see these organizations moving away from the just-in-time model to just-in-case. The transition to a just-in-case supply chain model began to form due to several supply chain-related issues we encountered during the pandemic. This led to higher demand for additional warehousing to be constructed. Availability of large cube warehousing had been historically tight in Iowa since 2012 where most years carried vacancy rates of 2.5 to 4.5 percent annually. During 2022, there was 2.97 million square feet of warehouse/distribution space delivered to meet the increase in demand of rising inventories. “From the construction standpoint, supply chain issues are subsiding, but there are still longer than normal lead times for certain trades and equipment. These lead times are still …
WAUKEE, IOWA — General contractor DCI Group Inc. has broken ground on Waukee Towne Center in suburban Des Moines. Pierson Cos. is developing the 62-acre project, and Ryan Cos. is building the 148,000-square-foot Target store that will anchor the development. Corell Contractor Inc. is currently performing earthwork. Located at the intersection of Hickman and Alice’s roads, the development will include retail, entertainment and restaurant space overlooking an eight-acre lake with a fountain. Seasonal amenities will include a winter ice skating rink, summer game area, playground and amphitheater. A timeline for completion was not provided.