Tag Archive for: 3700 lakeside drive

Butters Office Team Closes 171,000 Square Feet of Sales, Leases Since Pandemic Onset

/in , /by

Since the first case of COVID-19 struck Florida on March 1, the Butters Realty & Management office brokerage team of Darcie Lunsford, Caroline Fleischer, Molly McDonough and Sky Butters have executed more than 170,000 square feet of office transactions. In all, the Butters team generated $32.4 million in aggregate transaction value for internal and third-party assets and clients since the pandemic’s onset.

The transactions span nearly two dozen leases to representation of medical financier Bankers Healthcare Group in its acquisition of a 130,000-square-foot corporate headquarters at 3700 Lakeside Drive in Miramar in an off-market deal.

“As soon as the shelter-in-place order was lifted, our team was back in the office that day,” said Lunsford, director of office leasing at Butters. “We saw a wave of up pent-up demand coming out of the shutdown as leases expired and smaller entrepreneurial companies emerged looking to seize potential deals in the market.”

While many large corporate occupiers have remained reticent to make real estate decisions, firms of less than 5,000 square feet have still been active, Lunsford noted.

“Generally, we are seeing companies with counter-cyclical models, insurance, law, technology or financial service providers and other essential administrative hubs that have not been as drastically impacted by the pandemic-induced recession,” Lunsford said.

“In a tough economic situation like this, you can’t wait for the market to come to you, you have to go to the market,” said Fleischer, director of occupier services for Butters. “There are tenants out there that have a need and a want, but you have to be dogged.”

During the pandemic, Butters also increased occupancy several percentage points to 97 percent within its own four-building Boca Raton office portfolio.

“I think the key factor to our effectiveness in closing a high volume of transactions in the face of this unprecedented crisis is that we are highly focused,” said Malcolm Butters, president of Butters. “We have very strong local relationships and we are able to execute.”

Among the more notable office lease transactions:
• Bohler Engineering leased 4,910 square feet at 1900 NW Corporate Boulevard in Boca Raton
• Medigap Life leased 3,577 square feet at 1900 NW Corporate Boulevard in Boca Raton
• Trust Hills Co. leases 3,680 square feet at 851 Broken Sound Parkway in Boca Raton

Bankers Healthcare Group Buys 130K Office Building For HQ Expansion

/in , /by

Record-breaking growth is driving Bankers Healthcare Group, a leading provider of financial solutions for licensed healthcare practitioners and other highly skilled professionals, to expand to a new corporate headquarters in Miramar and hire new staff.

A BHG company purchased an existing 130,000-square-foot, six-floor building at 3700 Lakeside Dr. in Miramar. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. Butters Realty & Management represented BHG in the off-market purchase.

The company will soon begin remodeling the building, with plans to move in October 2020. BHG’s 260 employees will occupy the first, second, and third floors; the three other existing tenants will remain on floors four through six. BHG will retain its current location in Davie and make it available for commercial lease after the relocation.

“We founded our company’s corporate headquarters in South Florida nearly 20 years ago, and we’re thrilled to continue our growth here,” said Eric Castro, Co-Founder of Bankers Healthcare Group.

“We’ve outgrown our current space and our new building can better accommodate our steadily increasing business and staff numbers.”

BHG’s new headquarters will be equipped to encourage health and wellness. Amenities will include:

  • Gym with personal trainers
  • Café with an on-site chef
  • Yoga/meditation room
  • Massage room

The space will also include a coffee shop and parking to accommodate 700 vehicles. Its central location near the Dade/Broward county line is less than 30 miles to both the Miami International Airport and Ft. Lauderdale International Airport.

BHG has plans to hire an additional 129 employees by next year, as market demand for BHG’s suite of financial solutions continues to increase.

“Miramar is excited to welcome Bankers Healthcare Group to our vibrant city. Miramar is a place where companies like BHG can employ exceptional talent. We’re pleased that this dynamic company will help to further diversify our corporate base,” said Miramar City Manager Vernon E. Hargray.

The purchase was the culmination of an extensive site selection process and complex negotiation process with the seller.

“BHG examined numerous opportunities,” said Molly McDonough, senior vice president of Butters, who worked with BHG in its search along with Butters Executive Vice President Darcie Lunsford. “We had to find a location close to BHG’s existing Davie facility with high-quality corporate infrastructure that could be renovated and occupied quickly enough to meet the company’s brisk growth trajectory. Nothing on the market worked, so we identified and pursued this asset off-market because it fit our needs.”

BHG selected G. Alvarez Studio as the architect.

“From all of us at G. Alvarez Studio, Inc., we would love to say a big congratulations to the entire BHG family! We are so excited to have been awarded this fantastic project, and working with a talented and progressive institution,” said Christian Vidal, AIA, Vice President at G. Alvarez Studio. “Since we met the team, we were quickly drawn to their enthusiasm, internal dynamics and overall workplace atmosphere. We look forward to creating a new space that further reflects and supports BHG’s unique culture, and future growth for years to come.”