Leading brokerage firm will follow its own research when creating worker-centric Arizona headquarters

PHOENIX, Arizona – Leading Phoenix brokerage firm JLL has announced it will expand and relocate its Arizona headquarters to The Grove, a $400 million mixed-use destination being developed by RED Development on the northwest corner of 44^th Street and Camelback Road, in the heart of Phoenix’s Camelback Corridor.

Under the lease, JLL will occupy 31,000-square-feet on the first floor of The Grove’s Class AA office building, located at 4300 E. Camelback Road. Set for delivery in the third quarter of 2022, the 180,000-square-foot, five-story building will sit alongside other project amenities, including a boutique hotel, upscale dining and retail, and luxury residences, also under construction at the site.

Following advice from its own research, such as Shaping the Future of Work and Shaping Human Experience, JLL will build out its new Arizona office with amenities and technology, recognizing the power of the office to create a sense of community, support employee productivity and fill the gaps in collaboration, leadership and management caused by COVID-19 workplace disruptions.

“JLL’s new Arizona office will give our team and our clients the environment they need to pursue success in one of the most sought-after commercial real estate markets in the nation,” said Pat Williams, JLL Senior Managing Director. “We are extremely excited for its debut.”

“Welcoming JLL to The Grove is especially significant to us as our brokerage partnership is a key reason this office building will be 100 percent leased prior to opening,” said Mike Ebert, Managing Partner at RED Development. “We’re proud JLL has chosen to join the remarkable lineup of world-class tenants they’ve helped us to create by relocating their Phoenix office to this prime location.”

The new space will bring together more than 120 JLL professionals with office, industrial, retail, multifamily, healthcare, data center, capital markets, property management and project development services (PDS) expertise. It is the next stage of the company’s more than 22 years in the Valley, founded locally in 2000 as The Staubach Company and purchased by JLL in 2008, establishing a JLL Phoenix office and introducing the broad resources of the JLL network, one of the nation’s leading real estate services firms.

According JLL research, 74% of employees agree that having the ability to go into the office remains fundamental, and 70% of office workers see the office as a key factor in connecting with colleagues, solving issues, managing teams and aligning with leadership. JLL research also notes that one in two employees consider socialization spaces as critical to their office experience.

Each of these data points are translated into a physical outcome at the new JLL office, designed by RSP Architects and directed by JLL’s Project and Development Services. This begins with a collaborative lobby “entry experience” and continues through large and small conference “meet zones” and independent workstations. All work areas are fully powered and plug-in ready, giving employees balance, options, choice and control over how they want to work on a given day.

An open-concept “workcafe” sits at the edge of the office plan, lined with floor-to-ceiling windows. This creates an indoor/outdoor connection to a generous patio featuring eating and dining areas, collaborative seating and games. The Grove office building also features its own rooftop lounge with a pickleball court, outdoor garden and pavilion, full kitchen and direct views of Camelback Mountain.

“The iconic mixed-use nature of The Grove is exactly what companies from all industry sectors are searching for in today’s competitive labor market and JLL is no different. The on-site and surrounding amenity offerings at this project are second-to-none and check all of the boxes that JLL and others desire,” said JLL Managing Director Ryan Timpani, who leads leasing efforts at The Grove.

At completion, The Grove will total more than 15 acres and 750,000 square feet featuring three Class AA office buildings, an internationally inspired boutique hotel – The Global Ambassador – by restauranteur Sam Fox, upscale dining and retail, and 58 luxury residences by StreetLights Residential.

JLL is scheduled to move into its new space at The Grove in the Fall of 2022.

SAHUARITA, ARIZONA – Construction of the Sahuarita Advanced Manufacturing and Technology Center (SAMTEC) was completed in September 2020. A 32,000-square-foot multi-tenant advanced manufacturing center at 16220 S La Canada Dr. is the first of its kind facility in Sahuarita.

Two tenants recently signed leases with the Town of Sahuarita as landlord.

Power Photonic is leasing 14,000-square-feet on the southern end of the building, and Steel Jupiter will take 13,000-square-feet on the northern end of the building.

PowerPhotonic is a leader in design & manufacture of wafer-scale optics for advanced lasers and optical systems, headquartered in Dalgety Bay, Scotland, UK. As part of its continued expansion into North America, its U.S. subsidiary has signed a long-term lease for manufacturing facilities and its U.S. headquarters in Sahuarita  at SAMTEC.

Steel Juniper is focused on safeguarding the health and well-being bringing its FXI technologies to the world market. The proprietary FXI coating technology that Steel Juniper is commercializing pushes the boundaries of virus prevention. When applied to any mask, respirator, or air filtration media, it becomes 99.99% effective against viruses, bacteria, and VOC’s, including COVID-19.

The goal of SAMTEC is to establish Sahuarita as a hub for business innovation research and technology that complements the skill-sets of the Town’s resident labor force. Funding for SAMTEC was provided by a $3 million grant from the Economic Development Administration (EDA), $1.4 million from the Town of Sahuarita and a $330,000 grant from the Freeport McMoRan Foundation. The Arizona Commerce Authority previously awarded the Town a $250,000 Rural Economic Development Grant for the sewer extension to the project site

The 80+ acres of land around SAMTEC is designated as “Park Industrial”. With room to grow, the Town is hopeful that more industrial firms will take notice of the area, as it is mostly shovel-ready and near the I-19 & Sahuarita Road interchange. Rancho Sahuarita is the owner and developer of this land.

PHOTO: Sahuarita Advanced Manufacturing and Technology Center (SAMTEC) first building at 16220 S La Canada Dr. in Sahuarita, AZ

AZ firm advised Friedman Recycling Companies with sale of TX, NM recycling operations

PHOENIX, ARIZONA — CapMatrix Ltd, a full-service capital markets and corporate strategic advisory firm headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, has facilitated the successful sale of two valuable, out-of-state assets for the Phoenix-based Friedman Recycling Companies.

The sale transfers ownership of Friedman’s Texas and New Mexico municipal recycling operations to Waste Connections, Inc. (TSX/NYSE).

While financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, the operations sold by Friedman Recycling Companies include state of the art municipal recycling facilities (MRFs) located in El Paso, Texas, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, which collectively process more than 115,000 tons of recycled consumer and commercial material annually.

The transaction, managed by CapMatrix, is an example of an Arizona business engaging an Arizona-based strategic advisory firm to facilitate a sale. Morris Friedman, president of Friedman Recycling Companies, said local knowledge, proximity and strategic alignment were key factors behind his decision to work with an Arizona-based firm, rather than an out-of-state firm, for this specific transaction.

“This company is a part of our family, so when we made the strategic decision to divest our out-of-state assets and focus our energies at home here in Arizona, it was important to us that our strategic advisors honor and respect what we’ve built while searching for the right buyer,” Friedman said. “The team at CapMatrix was completely aligned with us from beginning to end, diligently worked the process of vetting potential buyers and kept everyone focused on the deadline for a closing. We couldn’t have done it without them.”

Waste Connections, Inc., the third largest solid waste management company in North America, already had substantial operations in its home state of Texas, but was looking to expand in El Paso. As part of its due diligence, CapMatrix understood that the company was also actively pursuing new opportunities in neighboring New Mexico, specifically Albuquerque.

The El Paso facility, which opened in 2006, spans nine acres and 49,000 SF. It handles municipal recycling operations for El Paso and Las Cruces. The 90,000 SF facility in New Mexico is set on 12.5 acres and handles recycling operations for the greater Albuquerque area.

Deron Bocks, president and managing partner at CapMatrix, said he and his firm were proud to represent Friedman in the sale, particularly because it bucks the trend of Arizona businesses using out-of-state strategic advisory firms.

“At CapMatrix, we pride ourselves on our ability to understand the unique dynamics of privately-held, and often family-owned, businesses by working closely with them to navigate complex transactions,” Bocks said. “We appreciate that the Friedman’s trusted us with this opportunity, we’re excited that we were able to execute a successful transaction for all parties involved, and we truly embrace our position as a local strategic advisory option for Arizona businesses in need of transactional representation.”