PHOENIX, Arizona – It was an evening of celebration recently as the NAIOP Arizona Developing Leaders Young Professional Group (YPG) Mentor Program hosted graduation for the 2016-2017 class at Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Spa.

Mentors and protégés gathered in a private dining room for a reception, presentations, and a dinner. The 15 protégés, grouped into four teams, pitched development proposals on Phoenix Trotting Park, the long-abandoned horse racing track along I-10 and the Loop 303 in Goodyear (1068 N. Cotton Lane).

All the projects focused on an industrial development that included multiple buildings ranging from 100,000 SF to 1 MSF. The teams presented market analysis statistics, architectural site plans, market studies and marketing plans, construction budgets, and exit strategies to the judges.

State 48 took home first-place honors. Team members were Sean Sheppard of Seefried Properties, Serena Wedlich of CBRE, and Joe Charles of JLL.

The I-10 frontage road and surrounding development was a selling point for e-commerce and manufacturing users.

“All four groups presented compelling projects – each with its own take on the best opportunity to meet tenant demand and maximize investor returns,” said Larry Pobuda of Opus Group, NAIOP Arizona Chairman and one of the three judges. “Candace Rosauro and Billy Cundiff did a terrific job in coordinating this year-long program. It was obvious that the mentors provided meaningful guidance while the mentees sunk their teeth into all of the possibilities that this site offers.”

This year’s other two judges were Jim Wentworth Jr. of Wentworth Property Company and Jenna Borcherding of JLL.

“Our goal is to provide the tools and platform for young professionals to go through the development process from start to finish,” said YPG Chair Candace Rosauro of Jokake Construction. “More importantly, it forges bonds with their teammates and mentors they know they can call on throughout their career.”

Applications for the 2017-2018 NAIOP YPG Mentor Program will be available in August. All NAIOP members who are age 35 or under qualify to participate in the Developing Leaders program, whether they joined through the DL membership category or as part of a corporate membership.

JLL earns leasing assignment for Two-Building project at Fountainhead Corporate Park

PHOENIX, Arizona – The Phoenix office of JLL has earned the leasing assignment for Park Garden and Park Bridge at Fountainhead, a recently renovated, two-building Class A office campus positioned to meet high demand for the Airport and Tempe markets, but at a fraction of nearby rental rates.

JLL Managing Director John Bonnell, Senior Vice President Brett Abramson, Vice President Chris Latvaaho and Associate Joe Charles have been awarded the Fountainhead leasing assignment by property owner Cypress Office Properties and Harbert Management Corporation.J

“In the past 12 months, Phoenix has ranked second in the nation – behind only Chicago – for total office space absorption,” said Bonnell. “The Fountainhead campus is owned and meticulously managed by a very strong ownership group. This makes it a prime option for tenants seeking modern, high-amenity space that is only minutes from downtown Tempe and Phoenix, but at a price point that is as much as 40 percent lower than nearby, north Tempe office rents.”

Park Bridge and Park Garden are located at 1501 and 1620 W. Fountainhead Pkwy. in Tempe, with direct frontage to I-10 and almost equidistant from Sky Harbor International Airport and downtown Tempe. Park Bridge at Fountainhead totals six stories and 164,785 square feet of lakefront, Class A office space. Park Garden at Fountainhead totals six stories and 127,226 square feet of Class A office space with frontage on I-10.

Both buildings were renovated in 2016 and now feature upgraded lobbies, new outdoor tenant areas, enhanced landscaping and spec suites. “These are notable enhancements that speak to companies needing a polished, Class A, central office location but who don’t need to pay north Tempe prices for their space,” said Abramson.

Additional on-site amenities at the Fountainhead campus include Lucy’s Fountainhead Café and an extensive park-like campus with serenity areas, ponds, waterfalls and fountains. The buildings at Fountainhead offer numerous points of ingress and egress, and are within minutes of downtown Phoenix, downtown Tempe, Arizona State University, Arizona Mills Mall and Sky Harbor International Airport.

The property is currently 69 percent occupied by tenants including State Farm, Centene, Provision and Heartland.