PhoenixMart: 780 concrete footings for 1.5 million-square-foot city of the future
Largest Convergence Marketplace In The Western Hemisphere
PhoenixMart advanced major foundation construction recently at its 585-acre site in Casa Grande, AZ by pouring what will eventually be 780 concrete footings across 1.5 million-square-feet. Each footing ranges in size from 7’ x 7’ to the largest 25’ x 25’, requiring an estimated 650 cement trucks to complete the footings.
Concrete pouring is currently taking place 5 days a week. Approximately 100 of the 780 footings have been completed on-site. To give you some idea of the scale of PhoenixMart, imagine a main building big enough to put 26 football fields under roof, and house 2,000 permanent vendors. The total project size is 585 acres, including office buildings, entertainment venues, restaurants, hotels and residential units. Compare that to the Mall of America, which has 522 retailers on 94 acres.
Layton Construction of Phoenix, Ariz. is the general contractor for the project and completion of construction is anticipated for the middle of 2016.
“PhoenixMart is the most comprehensive business venue in the Western hemisphere,” states PhoenixMart Chief Operating Officer Steve Gardner. “Over 1,700 tenant suites will be leased at our Casa Grande location by the time we open our doors in 2016, so our physical foundation has to match the size and scope of our company’s vision, which is to alleviate our tenants from the complexity and higher costs of traditional go-to-market strategies.”
PhoenixMart is a 5th generation marketplace utilizing the power of industry convergence to improve efficiencies for manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers and buyers throughout the supply chain. The PhoenixMart facility is designed to be a one-stop hub offering quality products at competitive prices to an array of customers with a diversity of needs.
See the Casa Grande Dispatch coverage of the PhoenixMart site construction here.
PhoenixMart will be the largest convergence marketplace in the Western Hemisphere and is getting national attention, as Forbes Magazine also reported on it Friday, as follows.
Every year, more than 100,000 buyers travel from the US to China in order to source a wide variety of products. One of the prime destinations for this scale of shopping is the Yiwu Market, where deals can be made with manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers to buy any amount of anything. And I do mean anything, from construction materials to cosmetics, socks to sports equipment, toys to T-shirts. And of course, Chinese manufacturers at the Yiwu Market, and throughout China, are ready and willing to generate any product from scratch, and ship anywhere in the world. Whatever you need, you can get it in China.
The sheer convenience and logistical efficiency of all of these suppliers converging in one physical location has been a major reason why so many dollars are sent on a one-way trip offshore. But what can you do? It’s just so darn easy for US companies to conduct business in this manner, and there’s nothing like it on domestic soil. Yet.
This model of convergence, which creates monumental efficiencies for both buyers and sellers, has been reproduced in Dubai’s DragonMart, and a new similar center is under construction in Paris. It looks like China’s monopoly on the mega commerce center is giving way to other enterprising ventures.
Elizabeth Mann, Developer/Managing Member PhoenixMart, is the visionary behind the vision. “The time has come for American companies to start enjoying the same convergence model and selling efficiencies found in Yiwu, Dubai and soon, Paris,” proclaims Mann. “PhoenixMart is designed to bring manufacturing, jobs and dollars back to the United States, where they belong.”
Bob Jackson, mayor of Casa Grande, is thrilled and a little anxious about the project. “I traveled to Yiwu with Elizabeth to witness firsthand the magnitude of the Yiwu Market,” remembers Mayor Jackson. “More than 250,000 buyers visit Yiwu every day. PhoenixMart may not start out that busy, but we are working on expanding our infrastructure, and increasing municipal approvals for hotel and housing developments.” PhoenixMart will create thousands of jobs that will help the local economy, however, and the project is considered a boon for local businesses that will have unprecedented access to domestic and international markets.
Aside from having prime access to more buyers, sellers will also be able to take advantage of the more than 100 business services offered by PhoenixMart. These include legal, finance, banking, language translation, marketing, travel and many other services. Jason Clark, EVP of Supply Chain Solutions, PhoenixMart’s onsite logistics partner, can foresee helping manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors save time and money as they streamline their old, more costly logistics models. “Sellers and buyers will be able to create new commerce models because of the efficiencies built into this system,” says Clark. “This will be a global trade center with bonded warehouses, light assembly facilities, trade show and convention venues, and world-class logistics capabilities. The speed and ease with which deals can be worked end-to-end, from concept to delivery, is staggering. This is the beginning of something very different in American business practices.”
As with all gargantuan undertakings, PhoenixMart is faced with daily bumps and challenges, as COO Steve Gardner can attest. “This is the first industry convergence hub on the Western Hemisphere. Being the first company to introduce a new concept to American businesses is never easy, but the idea of industry convergence makes sense. After learning about the concept, most companies can’t wait to get involved,” says Gardner.” More than a third of the suites are accounted for, and we see increased excitement daily from potential tenants. This is the most exciting, and demanding, project of my career.”
Caliber Realty will also be a part of the business services group, helping tenants and buyers with real estate needs associated with PhoenixMart. Right now, Jeff Cline, Director of Commercial Real Estate at Caliber Realty, is helping PhoenixMart stay on top of the leasing process. “I’ve never seen a project like this one,” reports Cline. “Beyond its sheer size, the benefits to both buyer and seller, in terms of cost savings and sales increases are incredible.
To learn more about leasing opportunities, Jeff Cline at Caliber Realty should be reached at 480.398.4600.
To read the full Forbes article go here.