GREENVILLE AND SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Commercial real estate services firm NAI Earle Furman has merged operations with Pulliam Investment Co., a real estate owner and developer. Pulliam Investment is based in Spartanburg, S.C., and has been in business since 1970. Terms of the merger were not disclosed. Under the new partnership, John Easterling, CEO of Pulliam Investment, will focus on expanding NAI Earle Furman’s seniors housing division and growing the firm’s investment platform. Easterling is the past chairman of the Spartanburg County Transportation Committee and chairman of the City of Spartanburg Planning Commission. He has also served on the Project Design and Architectural Review Committee of the Spartanburg Development Council. Easterling is a graduate of Clemson University with an MBA from the University of South Carolina.
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Frampton Construction Co. has completed work on The Blake at Hollingsworth Park, a 101-unit seniors housing community in Greenville. Cardinal Ventures is the developer of the community. The property features 68 assisted living and 33 memory care suites. The 86,000-square-foot assisted living and memory care facility is in the Hollingsworth Park area of Verdae, a master-planned community. Young, Wier + Boerner Architecture completed the design for the building, and Hoyt + Berenyi was civil engineer for the project. This is Frampton’s fifth Blake-branded assisted living project.
Robinson Weeks Signs Power Equipment Manufacturer to 310,128 SF Industrial Lease in Metro Charleston
LADSON, S.C. — Robinson Weeks Partners has signed Daye North America to a 310,128-square-foot industrial lease within Ladson Industrial Park in Ladson. Daye North America, which specializes in outdoor power equipment, is a subsidiary of Ningbo Daye Garden Machinery Co. Daye North America will occupy roughly 75 percent of Building 1, which was recently delivered. At full buildout, Ladson Industrial Park will span 102 acres and total 1.2 million square feet. The park is situated less than two miles from Interstate 26 and 20 miles northwest of the Port of Charleston. Peter Finley and Simons Johnson of Bridge Corporate Solutions represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. Lee Allen and Kevin Coats of JLL represented the Atlanta-based landlord.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — DD’s Discounts will open a 22,000-square-foot store within Fashion Place Shopping Center in Columbia Friday, Oct. 24. The property will be located at 2720 Decker Blvd., 10 miles northeast of downtown Columbia and the University of South Carolina. This will be dd’s Discounts third location in South Carolina and 270th overall in 20 states. Jake Dugan of JBL Asset Management represented the undisclosed landlord in the lease negotiations.
Magnus Development Starts Construction on 192,780 SF Industrial Building in Columbia, South Carolina
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Magnus Development has started construction on Midway Logistics VI, a 192,780-square-foot industrial building in Columbia. The spec warehouse is situated within Lexington County Industrial Park, near downtown Columbia and five miles from Interstate 20. The building will feature 32-foot clear heights, trailer parking, ESFR sprinklers and motion-sensor LED lighting. Magnus plans to complete the building in second-quarter 2021. Chuck Salley, Dave Mathews, Thomas Beard and John Peebles of Colliers International will handle the leasing and marketing efforts for the property. In March of this year, Magnus delivered Midway Logistics IV, a 200,000-square-foot building. Colliers arranged a 150,000-square-foot lease to TreeHouse Foods in September. Additionally, Magnus is developing Midway Logistics V, a 180,000-square-foot facility within the same business park.
Just a few months after getting hammered by a pandemic-induced recession, the U.S. economy is rebounding faster than anticipated, according to Mark Vitner, managing director and senior economist with Well Fargo Securities. During his keynote address to kick off the 11th annual InterFace Carolinas conference on Oct. 1, Vitner said the consensus estimate suggests U.S. real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at annualized rate of 30 percent in the third quarter. The Bureau of Economic Analysis will officially unveil its first estimate for third-quarter GDP on Thursday, Oct. 29. If realized, the gain would nearly offset the 31.4 percent decline in GDP in the second quarter. “This recession is the worst we’ve ever seen in terms of job loss and declines in GDP, but it was the shortest we’ve ever seen,” said Vitner. “All the decline we saw was in the second half of March and the first half of April. Since April 15 we’ve been recovering.” Employers added 661,000 jobs to the U.S. economy in September, which was nearly 200,000 jobs below the expectations of economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal. Still, the economy has recovered 11.4 million of the 22 million jobs lost since the beginning of …
The lending environment for commercial real estate has started to bounce back in recent months, but there is still hesitation to close deals across most property sectors. There are some attractive opportunities for lenders in today’s climate, such as multifamily and grocery-anchored retail. That was the sentiment expressed during the virtual InterFace Carolinas panel, titled “Capital Markets Update: When and What will Unfreeze the Lending and Financing Environment?” France Media Inc.’s InterFace Conference Group and Southeast Real Estate Business hosted the event Thursday, Oct. 1. Before the coronavirus pandemic caused a nationwide shutdown, the lending environment was the most competitive it had been in recent memory, according to Aaron Derby, managing director at Benefit Street Partners. “The world went from a competitive market to a shutdown overnight,” said Derby. “Capital markets are very temperamental.” Joining Derby on the panel was Hugh Allen, senior vice president and commercial real estate regional director for TD Bank; Steve Clikas, vice president of investments at Protective Life Insurance Co.; Preslava Kovatchevska, director multifamily production and sales at Freddie Mac; and panel moderator Matthew Rocco, president and national production manager for Grandbridge. CMBS market rebounding Derby says that while his firm continued lending in April …
ROCK HILL, S.C. — A joint venture between URS Capital Partners and Catalyst Capital Partners will develop The Exchange at Rock Hill, a planned $45 million mixed-use project in Rock Hill. The property will include 229 multifamily units, coworking office space and 26,000 square feet of retail and commercial space. The joint venture recently closed on the land sales, which included the assemblage of three parcels that were acquired from the City of Rock Hill and private investors. The Exchange at Rock Hill will be situated at the intersection of Dave Lyle Boulevard and E. White Street, adjacent to downtown Rock Hill and 27 miles south of downtown Charlotte. Amenities for the multifamily residents will include a pool, outdoor lounge area, roof deck and a fitness center. Concorde Construction is the general contractor for the apartment component, while Wharton Smith Inc. is the general contractor for the commercial spaces. BB+M Architecture and 505 Design are the project architects, and Land Design is the civil engineer for the site. Pinnacle Bank provided the joint venture with acquisition and construction financing. The co-developers will hold a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday, Oct. 13.
MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. — Serendipity Labs will open a 20,372-square-foot coworking space within Portside at Ferry Wharf by the end of this month. The developer and landlord is Atlanta-based Holder Properties. The building is situated at 75 Port City Landing, five miles north of downtown Charleston and along Cooper River. The office space will have COVID-19 guidelines in place, including touchless check-in and registration. Serendipity Labs will feature offices, meeting and focus rooms, retreats for nursing mothers, prayer and meditation, and a work lounge, each with their own air ducts. Kristie Roe of Colliers International | South Carolina represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. Rye, N.Y.-based Serendipity Labs operates more than 35 locations in 19 states.
KING OF PRUSSIA, PA. — Morgan Properties has purchased an 18-property multifamily portfolio in North and South Carolina for $323 million. The portfolio comprises 3,256 units, primarily located in metro Charlotte. King of Prussia-based Morgan Properties now owns nearly 5,000 units in the Carolinas. The 10 properties in and around Charlotte comprise 2,243 garden-style units. The properties include Village at Brierfield, Wexford and Sharon Pointe in Charlotte; Parkway Station, Trinity Station and Waters Edge in Concord; Kannon Station and McClain Heights in Kannapolis; Woodbrook in Monroe; Alexander Station, Ashton Woods and Lakewood in Salisbury; and Huntersville Apartment Homes in Huntersville. The other three North Carolina properties total 562 units and include Highland Ridge in High Point, Clemmons Station in Clemmons and Enclave at North Point in Winston-Salem. The three properties in South Carolina include Gable Oaks in Rock Hill, 1022 West in Gaffney and Station 153 in Anderson. The three communities comprise 583 units. Morgan Properties plans to implement a $20 million renovation program throughout the portfolio, which will include upgrading curb appeal; renovating kitchens and bathrooms; upgrading communal amenities to include dog parks, playgrounds, fitness centers, club rooms and package rooms with Amazon hub lockers; and installing washers and …