TOKYO AND BOCA RATON, FLA. — SoftBank Group Corp. has agreed to acquire DigitalBridge, a global asset manager based in Boca Raton that invests in data centers, cell towers and fiber networks. The Tokyo-based investment firm is looking to grow its AI and digital infrastructure platforms and capabilities with this acquisition. SoftBank has agreed to indirectly acquire all outstanding shares of DigitalBridge (NYSE: DBRG) for $16 per share, giving the acquisition a total enterprise value of approximately $4 billion. The acquisition price is a 50 percent premium to the unaffected 52-week average closing price as of Dec. 4, 2025. Upon completion of the transaction, which is expected for the second half of the year, DigitalBridge will continue to operate as a separately managed platform led by Marc Ganzi. The board of directors at DigitalBridge has unanimously approved the transaction.
ROCKFORD, ILL. — IPA Capital Markets, a division of Marcus & Millichap, has arranged $96.7 million in financing for three industrial properties in Rockford. Frank Montalto and Ethan Splan of IPA secured the three-year, nonrecourse financing with Bank OZK on behalf of Craig Erdmier, a Northern Illinois-based design-build and construction management professional and general contractor. The portfolio comprises more than 650,000 square feet, including two fully stabilized buildings totaling 503,395 square feet. The financing will be used to consolidate the stabilized assets and support the construction of the third facility, which will total roughly 155,000 square feet. Each building was developed as a build-to-suit for a global pharmaceutical services provider.
As 2025 closes, data suggests that the greater metropolitan Washington, D.C., area is stable but, like most markets nationally, remains below the industrial peak values achieved post-pandemic when vacancy rates hovered below 5 percent. That is no surprise, as we may never experience another “perfect storm” scenario in our lifetimes. The overall market for industrial buildings 100,000 square feet and larger is a healthy 6.3 percent, inclusive of data centers. A significant percentage of vacancy is masked by the build-out of data centers in Northern Virginia because, removing this asset class, the vacancy increases to approximately 9.1 percent. The number increases closer to 10 percent when we focus more specifically on logistics spaces, according to data from CoStar Group. Confidence remains strong for leasing activity in larger Class A industrial buildings, but the underlying economic fundamentals, uncertainty in tariff policy and geopolitical instability could lead to a continued trend of higher vacancy rates in the future. Consumer spending underpins the economy and is increasingly dependent on wealthier households who account for the majority of spending. Low- and middle-income households have continued to be squeezed by the rising costs of food, fuel and housing, which impacts the demand for shipped, manufactured …
SHEPHERDSVILLE, KY. — A joint venture between Highline Real Estate Partners and Growth Capital Partners (GCP) has purchased a 936,000-square-foot industrial facility located at 100 W. Thomas P. Echols Lane in Shepherdsville, a southern suburb of Louisville. Built in 2009 near an I-65 interchange, the 51.5-acre property has been fully leased to Amazon since 2013. George Fallon of CBRE represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction. The sales price was also not disclosed.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Houston-based brokerage firm Oxford Partners has negotiated a 25,827-square-foot industrial lease in South Austin. According to LoopNet Inc., the building at 6301 E. Stassney Lane totals 109,203 square feet and was built in 2015. D.J. Hale of Oxford Partners represented the tenant, Austin Task Secure Doc Services, in the lease negotiations. Claudia Taylor of Stream Realty Partners represented the landlord, Clarion Partners.
MORRISTOWN, N.J. — JLL has arranged a $176 million loan for the refinancing of a portfolio of six industrial properties totaling approximately 1.2 million square feet. Four of the properties are located in the Northern New Jersey communities of Carlstadt, Lyndhurst, Carteret and North Brunswick and feature clear heights of 16 to 25 feet. The other two properties are located in South Florida. Jim Cadranell, Gregory Nalbandian, Michael Lachs and Kevin Badger of JLL arranged the eight-year, fixed-rate loan through insurance giant Nationwide on behalf of the borrower, Seagis Property Group. The portfolio was 96 percent leased at the time of the loan closing.
PENNINGTON, N.J. — Locally based brokerage firm The Kislak Co. Inc. has negotiated the $3.3 million sale of a 30,375-square-foot industrial facility in Pennington, located just north of Trenton. The multi-building facility is known as Hopewell Valley Industrial Park and was originally built on 8.2 acres in 1988. Daniel Lanni of Kislak represented the seller and procured the buyer, both of which requested anonymity, in the transaction.
WESTLAKE, OHIO — Industrial Commercial Properties (ICP) has acquired the former True Value Hardware distribution facility at 26025 1st St. in Westlake, about 12 miles west of downtown Cleveland. The 408,000-square-foot property features a clear height of 25 feet and sits on 21.6 acres. ICP will transform the facility with advanced building systems, improved dock and loading areas and a modernized look. The updated space, available in the second quarter of 2026, will offer flexible layouts for industrial, manufacturing and distribution businesses. Joe Messina, David Stecker and Joe Warren of JLL helped facilitate the transaction and will continue as the leasing team.
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Tariffs Are Moving the Needle for Manufacturing, Distribution Demand on the I-85 Industrial Corridor
More than seven months have passed since Liberation Day, where the Trump administration declared a sweeping package of tariffs for foreign trade partners and specific commodities, including steel and aluminum. Since the announcement in early April, there has been a boon in the amount of multibillion-dollar advanced manufacturing, life sciences, semiconductor and data center investment announcements around the country, with the markets along the I-85 Industrial Corridor being no exception. To name a few: Toyota has recently begun production at its $13.9 billion battery plant in Liberty, N.C.; Rivian broke ground on its $5 billion electric vehicle plant near Social Circle, Ga.; JetZero is planning to create 14,500 jobs for an aerospace manufacturing facility in Greensboro, N.C.; Eli Lilly is developing a $5 billion pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in the Richmond suburb of Goochland County, Va.; and Google is developing a trio of data centers in metro Richmond’s Chesterfield County. “We have incredible momentum bringing business back into the United States, which is going to drive industrial growth, particularly in the Southeast,” says Jim Anthony, CEO and founder of APG Companies. “We’re not unionized, we have lower taxes, fewer regulations and lower cost of energy, which is huge factor in site …
LANDIS, N.C. — Texas-based real estate developer Jackson-Shaw has delivered Phase I of Landis Ridge, a 150-acre master-planned industrial park located in Landis, a central North Carolina city that sits along I-85. This is the first of two planned phases for the property, which will comprise 1.3 million square feet upon completion. The project team for Landis Ridge consists of Compatriot Capital (equity partner), Frampton Construction (general contractor), Orsborn Design Group (civil engineer), Merriman Schmitt Architects (architect) and Hartford Investment Management Co. (financing). Jay Hill, Spencer Yorke and Matthew Greer of JLL are leading leasing efforts for the development. Phase I of Landis Ridge totals 594,300 square feet and spans three speculative buildings, which include Building 1A at 1205 Ridgeview St. (202,800 square feet), Building 1B at 205 Richwater St. (121,800 square feet) and Building 2 at 1400 Ridgeview St. (269,700 square feet). All three buildings are available for lease and can accommodate users ranging in size from 33,180 to 594,300 square feet. Jackson-Shaw recently finished the clearing and grading of the remaining 58 acres, along with the construction of a stormwater control measure pond, for Phase II of Landis Ridge. The second phase will be able to accommodate build-to-suit …