IAMC People and Projects

Schneider Picks Sweden and Athens (Texas) to Reach Markets

IAMC member Schneider Electric's Square D unit will lease this facility in Athens, Texas, from IAMC member First Industrial Realty Trust, which purchased it in July. The complex was formerly operated by furniture company Heilig Meyers.

      French electrical engineering company Schneider Electric will open a Nordic and Baltic region distribution center in Orebro, Sweden, in 2006. The company said the town in central Sweden would allow the company to get products to customers within two days. The presence there of several electrical goods wholesalers also helped sway the selection.

      Pauli Joensen, vice president of supply chain management with Schneider Nordic Baltic, said the goal of the new center was to reduce the number of storage locations between Schneider Electric and its customers and wholesalers.

      Meanwhile, in Athens, Texas, Schneider Electric division Square D will be adding some 125 new jobs as it moves into a 395,970-sq.-ft. (36,786-sq.-m.) facility that formerly functioned as a distribution center for Heilig Meyers. The property was purchased by IAMC member First Industrial Realty in July, and will be leased by Square D. Local economic developers say the company plans to ship 47 percent of its North American production from the Athens facility.

      Schneider employs 73,000 in 130 countries. Karen McClellan, corporate real estate manager for Square D/Schneider Electric, is an IAMC member, based in Ohio.

     IAMC member company GlaxoSmithKline announced this week it would be constructing a new manufacturing facility in Dresden, Germany, for the manufacture of flu vaccine. The US$117-million project is the largest investment ever at the company's Sächsische Serumwerk Dresden complex, and will create 170 jobs over the next five years at a two-building complex that will also be developing new vaccines. The move, which will double the site's output to 60 million doses annually by the end of the decade, comes at a time when fellow vaccine manufacturer Sanofi Aventis is also ramping up production capacity. Both companies are trying to fill the gap caused by production quality problems at two Chiron plants in the U.K. and Germany. Jack Smith, manager, real estate Americas and Asia for GSK, is an IAMC member.

     The East End Bridge that is part of the $2.4-billion Louisville and Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges project will be designed by personnel from IAMC member company Parsons Brinckerhoff. Construction is to begin in 2007. It's just one of many big projects for the planning, engineering, program and construction management, and operations and maintenance firm, including recently awarded work for high-speed rail in China, a toll road extension in Pittsburgh, water re-use in Yemen and a rail project in Raleigh-Durham. Hamilton McDonald, senior vice president of Parsons Brinckerhoff International, is an IAMC member.

     GE Infrastructure, Security is locating its world headquarters in Bradenton, Fla., in the complex formerly operated by fire detection systems firm Edwards Systems Technology, which GE acquired in March. The $6-million investment will create 70 new jobs. "As one of GE's growth platforms, our Security business is focused on being the world's premier security company offering innovative technology solutions to help our customers protect people, assets, and communities," said Louis Parker, COO, GE Infrastructure, Security, at the May announcement. "We would like to thank Governor Bush and the great state of Florida for helping create a strong business environment that allows us to continue our growth." Among the organizations that helped attract the location were Manatee County Economic Development Council, the Board of County Commissioners of Manatee County, and Enterprise Florida, Inc. Terry Rees, a real estate portfolio manager for GE, and Roger Miller, a senior director of Enterprise Florida, are IAMC members.

Mark Delph

     IAMC member company Fortune Brands Co., sellers of products as diverse as Moen faucets, Titleist golf balls and Jim Beam bourbon, closed in late July on the $5-billion acquisition of several liquor brands from Allied Domecq. The move adds Sauza tequila, Courvoisier cognac, Clos du Bois wine and, pending regulatory approval, Maker's Mark bourbon to the company's holdings, in addition to about 16 other brands. It will also double annual revenue from Fortune's wine and spirits business, at the same time that it dramatically increases the company's international sales volume. The deal was part of a complex arrangement that cleared the way for Pernod Ricard SA to acquire Allied Domecq. Mark Delph, director, real estate, for Fortune Brands, is an IAMC member - look for a "Meet a Member" profile of Mark in the September 2005 issue of Site Selection.

     Beauty product company Kao Brands has moved into the largest spec building ever constructed in the Cincinnati area, leasing more than half of the 697,500-sq.-ft. (64,798-sq.-m.) complex developed by IAMC member company IDI, located at Port Union at Union Centre. IDI's Cincinnati office has developed more than 8.5 million sq. ft. (789,650 sq. m.) of industrial space in the Cincinnati and Greater Kentucky area. S. Michael Parks, vice president of national business development for IDI, is an IAMC member.

     Chris Browne, a former managing director of Jones Lang LaSalle's facilities management business, has rejoined CB Richard Ellis as senior managing director and global head of that firm's facilities management business. "Recruiting is a key element in maintaining our position as the best Facilities Management provider in the real estate industry," said Steven Swerdlow, CBRE's President of Global Corporate Services. "Chris has proven himself as an expert in our industry, and we're confident that his appointment will help us in remaining the FM provider of choice. We're also glad to have him back at CBRE." Through the second quarter of 2005, the company's property and facilities management division showed revenues of more than $100 million, 15 percent higher than revenues for the same period in 2004. Bob Duncan, senior vice president for CB Richard Ellis, and Bleecker Totten, senior managing director, are both IAMC members.

     First Industry Realty Trust announced in June that it would develop a 450,000-sq.-ft. (41,805-sq.-m.) distribution facility in Dupont, Wash., for Pier 1 Imports, the retailer's seventh DC in North America. The project marks First Industrial's entry into the Seattle market. In July, First Industrial announced it would develop a 400,000-sq.-ft. (37,160-sq.-m.) build-to-suit fulfillment center for Staples, Inc., at the Terminus West Industrial Park in Douglasville, Ga. In a separate announcement, First Industrial has named R. Steven Preston at its regional director of the Nashville/St. Louis region. Most recently, Preston served as vice president of leasing for Duke Realty Corp. Lawrence Spinelli, senior vice president of First Industrial, is an IAMC member.

Kenneth C. Swartz

     Kenneth C. Swartz, of Northville, Michigan, has accepted the position of general manager for Rudolph/Libbe Inc.'s Canton, Mich., office. His responsibilities include managing estimating, operations, and business development in the Michigan office. Swartz has more than 23 years of construction industry experience with commercial, industrial, aviation, water/wastewater treatment, heavy/highway and institutional projects. The Rudolph/Libbe Companies, among the nation's largest contractors, employs nearly 1,500 construction trades associates through offices in Lima, Toledo and Walbridge, Ohio; and Canton, Mich. Rudolph/Libbe Inc., the general contractor, design/build and construction management firm, is the largest of the three companies. Scott Libbe, executive vice president of Rudolph/Libbe, is an IAMC member.