FORT WORTH — GE Transportation, a manufacturer of rail and transportation products, intends to open a new locomotive manufacturing facility in Fort Worth. GE will invest up to $96 million in the new plant and will create more than 500 new high-tech manufacturing jobs. Production is scheduled to start by 2012 as a 900,000-square-foot facility is under consideration. GE anticipates launching its formal hiring process for both salaried employees and production workers for the facility later this year. Production workers will include welders, assemblers, painters and related skilled labor. The state of Texas will commit up to $4.2 million in incentives toward the project through the Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF).
Industrial
FORT WORTH — Baker Tankhead, a manufacturer of tank heads, hotforming services, cones, manways, rolled shells and other products for various industries and applications, has acquired a 51,000-square-foot office and warehouse facility in Fort Worth. Located at 10405 N. Freeway, the facility is situated adjacent to Baker Tankhead's corporate headquarters. Local investors James and Marilyn Helzer sold the property to Baker Tankhead. Dan Spika of Henry S. Miller Brokerage's Dallas/Fort Worth office and industrial division arranged the acquisition on behalf of Baker Tankhead.
IRVINE, CALIF. – CIP Real Estate has acquired an 188,000-square-foot multi-tenant industrial portfolio for $14 million. The portfolio includes the six-building, 150,000-square-foot Indiana Business Park in Riverside; the 16,000-square-foot Cerritos Industrial Park in Cerritos and the 22,000-square-foot Parkway La Mirada in La Mirada. CIP purchased the portfolio from Union Development Company. The deal included the assumption of an existing conduit loan.
CORBIN, KY. — Webbed Sphere Inc. has purchase the former American Greetings building, a more than 1 million-square-foot industrial property located on 108 acres in Corbin. Bruce Isaac of NAI Isaac Commercial Properties and Dov Sorotzkin of Newmark Knight Frank represented the seller. The purchase price was not released.
CRETE, ILL. — Josh Hearns and Terry Grapenthin of Cawley Chicago Commercial Real Estate have secured 12 acres in the Crete Park of Commerce in the Interstate 394 Corridor in Crete for Silliker, which plans to develop a 60,000-square-foot research and development facility for food testing. Silliker tests food for various national and local fast food chains. The new facility will consolidate Silliker's two locations in south Cook County, Ill.
PASADENA — Jacobson Warehouse Co. has signed a 436,410-square-foot industrial lease at Interport Distribution Center — Building Two, located at 13031 Bay Area Blvd. in Pasadena. Located in the southeast submarket serving the Port of Houston's container terminals, the Interport facility is equidistant from Barbours Cut Container Terminal and Bayport Container Terminal. John Talhelm, Will Swanson and Kevin Erck of Jones Lang LaSalle represented the landlord, FR/CAL Interport, LP, a property owned by the California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS). Principal Real Estate Investors is the advisor to CalSTRS for the property with Sealy & Co. acting as the property manager. CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) represented Jacobson Warehouse Co. in the transaction.
ELKIN, N.C. — Midwest-CBK has sold its 416,007-square-foot industrial building, located at 300 Candle Wycke Ln. in Elkin, to Pittsburgh Glass Works. The building will be used as a new manufacturing facility to make automotive glass products. The seller was represented by Doug Faris of Binswanger's Charlotte, N.C., office.
OLATHE, KAN. — Nabholz Construction has purchased 9,750 square feet of industrial space, located at 1707 E. 123rd Terrace in Olathe, from Randall W. Fruit Trust. John Stafford of Colliers International represented the seller in the transaction, while the buyer was not represented.
OCEANSIDE, CALIF. — The 203,779-square-foot former Ashworth Golf industrial building, located at 4010 Ocean Ranch Blvd. in the Ocean Ranch Corporate Centre in Oceanside, has been sold to a joint venture between Alliance Commercial Partners and American Realty Advisors. The property also contains an additional 6 acres of excess buildable land. The seller, Lloyd Wells Gift Trust, was represented by Mike Erwin of Cassidy Turley | BRE Commercial's Carlsbad, Calif., office. The buyer was represented by Tucker Hohenstein of Colliers International's Carlsbad office.
CHINO, CALIF. — Taylored Services has signed a 203,000-square-foot lease, located at 14211 Monte Vista Ave. in Chino, to expand its regional distribution center. The tenant was represented by Tim Pimentel, Chuck Belden and Kyle Kehner of Cushman & Wakefield's Inland Empire, Calif. office. Chris Brandt, Sam Foster and Mike Fowler of Jones Lang LaSalle's Los Angeles office represented East Group Properties, the landlord.