AUBURN HILLS, MICH. — Bernard Financial Group (BFG) has arranged a $3 million permanent loan for a 64,000-square-foot flex industrial property in Auburn Hills. David Ruff of BFG arranged the loan on behalf of the borrower, K-S Group LLC. A life insurance company provided the loan.
UPPER MACUNGIE, PA. — Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE: LLY) will open a $3.5 billion manufacturing facility in the Lehigh Valley community of Upper Macungie. The development will span about 925,000 square feet across multiple buildings and is expected to bring about 850 new jobs to the region. A construction timeline was not announced. Lilly is acquiring the property at 9802 Main St. in Upper Macungie from Jaindl Land Development for the project. According to local news outlet WFMZ, this property is known as Fogelsville Corporate Center and is undeveloped agricultural land. In addition to the 850 permanent jobs, development of the new facility is expected to create about 2,000 construction jobs. According to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, the state committed more than $100 million in incentives to land the project, including $50 million in tax credits. Lehigh Carbon Community College will receive additional state funding and feed Lilly’s talent pipeline by creating and expanding academic and workforce training programs in life sciences. “Lilly’s commitment to the Lehigh Valley and to Pennsylvania will bring billions of dollars of investment and hundreds of good-paying jobs, solidifying our position as a leader in the growing life sciences industry,” Shapiro said …
LA PORTE, TEXAS — JLL has negotiated the sale of a 511-unit self-storage facility located in the southeastern Houston suburb of La Porte. Spencer Mini Storage comprises 11 single-story buildings that were built in the late 1990s. About 190 (37 percent) of the units are climate-controlled, and the property also offers 79 boat or RV surface parking spaces. Adam Roossien, Matthew Wheeler, Steve Mellon and Brian Somoza of JLL represented the seller, ExchangeRight, in the transaction. The buyer was a partnership between MyPlace Self-Storage and Nuveen Real Estate.
LOUISVILLE, KY. — JLL Capital Markets has arranged the $55.8 million sale of a two-building, 390,000-square-foot industrial portfolio situated within the Blankenbaker Station Business Park in eastern Louisville. Ed Halaburt, Ross Bratcher, John Huguenard, Sean Devaney, Kurt Sarbaugh and Will McCormack of JLL represented the sellers, Washington Capital Management and Roebling Development, in the transaction. EQT Real Estate was the buyer. The first building serves as Packsize International’s Innovation Center, which spans 240,000 square feet and features specialized manufacturing capabilities, including two production lines supported by 3.3-ton cranes and office space. The second building, which totals 150,000 square feet, houses a same-day delivery facility for Packsize — one of roughly 50 locations across North America. The facility features full air conditioning, seven box-in-box coolers to support grocery operations and robotics systems for automated sortation and fulfillment processes. Both buildings have 32-foot clear heights, fully circulating truck courts, ample trailer parking and rear-loading configurations.
HOUSTON — Lee & Associates has brokered the sale of an 80,164-square-foot manufacturing building in North Houston. According to LoopNet Inc., the building at 1121 Buschong St. was built on 6.4 acres in 2001. The building includes 14,250 square feet of office space. Justin Tunnell and Richard Glass of Lee & Associates represented the seller, Schlumberger Technology Corp., in the deal. The buyer and sales price were not disclosed.
HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. — Resource Realty of Northern New Jersey has secured a 37,168-square-foot industrial lease in Hackettstown, about 50 miles west of New York City. According to LoopNet Inc., the building at 101 Bilby Road was completed in 1990 and totals 65,000 square feet. Brian Wilson of Resource Realty represented the landlord in the lease negotiations. KBC Advisors represented the tenant. Both parties requested anonymity.
BENSENVILLE, ILL. — Lee & Associates of Illinois has brokered the $3.3 million sale of a 32,120-square-foot industrial building located at 1029-1033 Bryn Mawr Ave. in Bensenville. Michael Plumb, Bradley Simousek and Colin Sons of Lee & Associates represented the private owner. Dustin Albers of Lee & Associates represented the buyer, Doctor Rooter 911. The commercial plumbing company maintains two other locations in Bensenville.
HICKORY, N.C. — Corning Inc. has announced plans to develop a new optical cable manufacturing facility in Hickory, about 58 miles northwest of Charlotte. The new plant is part of the New York-based tech manufacturing firm’s multi-year, up to $6 billion agreement with Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. Meta will serve as the anchor client of the manufacturing facility. The agreement will help accelerate the build-out of advanced data centers to support Meta’s various apps and technologies, including its Llama AI platform. Under the agreement, Corning will supply Meta with “its newest innovations in optical fiber, cable and connectivity solutions.” The new factory and increased investment in Corning’s existing North Carolina footprint are expected to create 5,000 new jobs, including scientists, engineers and production teams. The initiative is expected to increase Corning’s employment in North Carolina by 15 to 20 percent. Back in October, Corning acquired 32.9 acres in Trivium Corporate Center, a 378-acre business park in Hickory, and agreed to invest $170 million to $267.9 million and create 132 jobs at the park.
BIRMINGHAM, ALA. — Coro Realty has acquired a 239,370-square-foot industrial facility located at 3501 1st Ave. N in Birmingham’s Eastside submarket. Tripp Alexander and Will Canary of Colliers represented Coro Realty in the $13.8 million transaction. Jake Viverette and Will Redding with The Overton Group, along with Edwin Moss and Benjamin Bottcher of JH Berry, represented the undisclosed seller. Bobby Norwood of JLL arranged an undisclosed amount of acquisition financing on behalf of Coro Realty via Seacoast Bank. Originally built in 1965, the property was fully leased at the time of sale to tenants including the U.S. Postal Service, Division 7 Supply and Sara Sells. The infill facility is situated on a nine-acre site near downtown Birmingham and I-20 and features 20 dock-high doors, LED lighting and a rail spur with potential connectivity to an active Norfolk Southern line.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A partnership between Iconic Equities, Shoreline Capital, Overlook Ventures and LaSalle Investment Management has broken ground on Pineville Distribution Center, a 194,232-square-foot industrial facility in Charlotte’s Southwest submarket. The property is located on 15 acres at 10203 Pineville Distribution St. The ownership has tapped Bradley Dunn and Bill Wood of Trinity Partners to lease Pineville Distribution Center. The co-developers plan to deliver the facility in mid-to-late 2026. Physical features of the project were not released.