Tag Archive for: 450 e las olas blvd

Class AA Office Tower Trades Hands In Broward’s Second $200M+ Transaction In Two Days

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On Thursday, CRE-sources reported the $208 million trade of 350/450 East Las Olas, the largest transaction in a decade… until Friday.

On Friday, Lone Star Funds announced that an affiliate of Lone Star Real Estate Fund VII, L.P., along with an affiliate of Highline Real Estate Capital LLC and Square2 Capital LLC, has acquired 401 East Las Olas Boulevard, marking the most significant office acquisition in Broward County in the past decade.

CBRE’s Institutional Office Group, led by Vice Chairman Christian Lee and Vice President Sean Kelly, represented the seller, a global investment manager. CBRE’s Debt & Structured Finance Group, led by Vice Chairmen Tom Traynor and Tom Rugg, Senior Vice President Amy Julian, and First Vice President Andrew Chilgren, represented the buyer in sourcing acquisition financing. The CBRE team also included Director Adam Spengler, Senior Associate Tom Rappa, Associate Henry Fenmore, and Financial Analyst Matthew Lee.

“Office properties in Fort Lauderdale’s CBD have thrived in the 2020’s, with strong absorption, sharp rent growth and declining vacancies. This is particularly true for top tier assets, which have outperformed because of an escalating flight to quality,” said Lee.

 

“With soaring construction costs and a dearth of remaining development sites in the Las Olas corridor, future supply will be tightly constrained and will result in continued strong rent growth for the area,” added Kelly.

The transaction closed February 13. While the terms were not disclosed, sources close to the deal reported the sale price to be in the neighborhood of $220 million, equating to more than $535 per square foot.

The 23-story, 410,561-square-foot Class AA office and retail tower—also known as Bank of America Plaza at Las Olas City Centre—sits on a full city block in the heart of Fort Lauderdale’s Las Olas Financial District. The property is home to a premier tenant roster, including Bank of America, Greenberg Traurig, Boies Schiller Flexner, Motorola Solutions, and UBS.

“We see a unique opportunity to invest in high-quality office assets that are among the best in their competitive set,” said Jérôme Foulon, Global Head of Commercial Real Estate at Lone Star. “The South Florida office market has strong underlying fundamentals, driven in part by in-migration trends and return-to-work mandates. At the same time, since new developments have all but stopped in recent years, some markets are experiencing shortages of office space in quality assets.”

 

“This acquisition represents our confidence in high-quality, well-located office assets that continue to demonstrate strong leasing fundamentals,” said David Moret, President of Highline Real Estate Capital. “401 has maintained an average occupancy of 94 percent since its inception and is positioned to continue to benefit from the evolving office market.”

 

Jay Caplin, Principal at Square2 Capital, added “with our previous repositioning success at 501 & 515 Las Olas Boulevard, we are confident we can amplify 401’s position as one of the most sought-after office towers in the state. Planned improvements will build upon 401’s status as the most amenitized office property in downtown Fort Lauderdale, featuring six on-site restaurants, a fitness center, and full-service banking.” Square2 Capital will manage the property for the new owner under the direction of Principal Mike Manno.

 

Stream Realty Partners Facilitates Premier Lease Renewal For Long-Time Client In Downtown Fort Lauderdale

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Stream Realty Partners represented Gunster, a full-service corporate law firm, in the renewal of its corporate office lease at Las Olas Centre, located in the heart of Downtown Fort Lauderdale.

The 11-year lease renewal encompasses approximately 22,000 square feet of office space, further solidifying Gunster’s commitment to the Fort Lauderdale market and its legacy building. Las Olas Centre, located at 450 E. Las Olas Boulevard, offers unparalleled access to abundant amenities and represents a cornerstone of the Downtown Fort Lauderdale submarket.

“We are delighted to extend our lease at Las Olas Centre, a location that has served as a vital hub for our operations in Broward County,” said Jonathan Osborne, Gunster’s Fort Lauderdale Office Managing Shareholder. “Stream’s expertise and commitment to excellence have been instrumental in facilitating this transaction, and we look forward to continuing our successful partnership.”

Stream Executive Managing Director Greg Katz and Senior Vice President Carlyle Coffin facilitated the transaction on behalf of the tenant. Tim Talbot and Andy Ackerman of Comreal represented the building owner, DWS.

“This significant lease renewal underscores both Stream’s and Gunster’s steadfast dedication to the Fort Lauderdale market,” said Coffin. “Las Olas Centre has served as Gunster’s home for almost two decades, and we are proud to continue supporting their presence in this premier location.”

 

Katz added, “This renewal also highlights our commitment to serving law firms nationwide. With a track record of representing hundreds of law firms across the United States, our South Florida team remains dedicated to delivering exceptional service and value to our clients.”

 

Hong Kong-Based Company Moving US Headquarters To South Florida

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Techtronic Industries — the maker of many tools and popular appliance brands — is moving its U.S. headquarters to Fort Lauderdale, which business development officials say is another corporate headquarters win for the region.

The Hong Kong-based company is behind brands such as Ryobi and Milwaukee power tools, as well as Hoover, Oreck and Dirt Devil vacuum cleaners.

The company, which employs more than 20,000 worldwide, has leased offices at 450 E. Las Olas Blvd. and plans to create 75 jobs, according to the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, the county’s economic development group. Techtronic, which was previously based outside Baltimore, is moving some top executives to Fort Lauderdale and hiring for finance, human resources, audit, legal and other professional jobs.

Techtronic’s biggest customer is Home Depot. The company also makes and sells brands including Vax, AEG, Stiletto, HomeLite and Empire.

Kristine Zenkewicz, assistant general counsel for Techtronic Industries North America, said the Fort Lauderdale office will be a corporate one overseeing U. S. operations. The global company has more than 40 locations around the world including the U.S., Canada, Asia, Europe and South America.

“We thought Fort Lauderdale would be a fabulous place to host clients, investors and team members,” she said.

Techtronic is a “powerhouse group of companies,” said Bob Swindell, president and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance.

He said attracting a corporate headquarters is “incredibly important” to Broward because it brings high-paying jobs and tends to invest in the community.

Swindell said Broward County was competing with Miami and New England to attract the headquarters. One factor was hangar space for the company’s corporate aircraft, which it secured at the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. The company’s top executives frequently travel overseas, he said.

The company is renovating and will be moving into the 15th floor of 450 E. Las Olas Blvd., the same building where the late entrepreneur H. Wayne Huizenga once had his office.

In November, state and local government incentive awards totaling $210,000 were approved for the company, if it meets job and investment requirements. In October, the Fort Lauderdale Commission agreed to provide tax refunds of $7,000 per job for at least 30 jobs with average annual salaries of $97,374, according to a memo from City Manager Lee Feldman.

The incentives were awarded to help ensure the company relocation wouldn’t be lost to New England, where Techtronic has its current U.S. headquarters, or Miami, according to the memo.

Techtronic was founded in 1985 by Horst Julius Pudwill and Roy Chi Ping Chung with the goal of building a portfolio of globally recognized brands, according to the company’s site. It opened its first factory in 1988 in Dongguan, China.

Based in Hong Kong, Techtronic reported 2018 revenue of more than $7 billion, up from $6 billion a year earlier. The CEO is Joseph Galli Jr., who is renting while he builds a home in the Fort Lauderdale area, according to Zenkewicz.

The company is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Techtronic’s stock also is traded in the U.S. over-the-counter market, where it has a 52-week stock price range of $22.52 to $38.72 a share.

 

Source:  SunSentinel