2004, SpringPAGE 7

National and International Companies Look to Belz for Strategically Located Industrial Space

Businesses all over the country call Belz's industrial parks home and it is easy to see why. Each of the parks boasts a strategic location, well-kept appearance and a reputation for quality.

Olive Branch's Metro Industrial Park has been at the center of development in North Mississippi for more than 30 years. The first tenants were companies that manufactured products for Holiday Inn, Inc.

Now, Metro Industrial Park consists of nearly 70 companies employing approximately 4,000 people and manufacturing a wide variety of products, from bottle caps to fuel lines. It is the largest industrial park in Olive Branch, Mississippi, just south of Memphis. The location of Metro Industrial Park is perhaps the most important aspect of its success. With the Olive Branch Airport right outside the boundary of the park, easy access is available by air and rail.

Metro's impressive roster of national and international tenants also adds to the high-quality reputation of the park.

Alcoa CSI manufactures bottle caps and is located beside one of the rail lines within the park. It considers the direct rail delivery of materials to be an important advantage of the location.

Trex Company, which manufactures synthetic decking material, also counts rail access as an incentive for locating at Metro. The multimillion-dollar manufacturing plant, which will sit on 100 acres of land in the park and will be ready in 2005, cites a favorable labor market and available utilities as other reasons for locating there.

Caterpillar Logistics, a Mazda parts distributor with more than 95 facilities in 24 countries and six continents, is located east of Trex.

Medart Co., which sells engines for commercial lawn care equipment to small engine operators, has announced that it will soon move its distribution operation from Memphis to the Metro Industrial Park.

Other recent additions to the park include Usio (pronounced You-sew-E), which manufactures brake and fuel lines, and J. Strickland Co., a beauty products supplier.

Southridge Corporate Park,
located in southeast Shelby County, is another Belz industrial property that continues to attract tenants. Southridge's attractive landscaping, prime location in the southeast submarket and updated building design have helped to bring in seven more tenants recently.

New tenants include Purdy Corporation, Superior Auto Extras, ProPak, Texas Aluminum and Lesaint Logistics.

In addition, GE manufactures polymer shapes in its new 20,000-square-foot space, and Shaw has relocated to Southridge in order to expand its operations into a larger, 22,500-square-foot facility.

Gateway Industrial Park is located on Jackson Avenue near I-240. Freestanding and multi-tenant buildings make up 1.5 million square feet of space. Some of the buildings include drive-in facilities and outside storage areas.

In March, Gateway welcomed the Mattress Factory Showroom into its new retail and assembly operation facility.

Another Belz property, North Memphis Industrial Park, is located on 433 acres near I-55 and I-240. Tenants have direct access to rail facilities in addition to being 15 minutes from Memphis International Airport and the Federal Express Superhub.

ECOM USA, Inc., a cotton brokerage and distribution operation based in Dallas, Texas, has purchased the largest freestanding building in North Memphis Industrial Park, a 449,000-square-foot warehouse facility. Giannini Foods, LLC., a wholesale specialty food distributor, opened a 12,750-square-foot office and distribution center in the park in November.

Shelby Oaks Corporate Park, located near the I-40 and I-240 interchange, accommodates a wide range of companies with short- and long-term leasing needs who are seeking industrial, distribution and office space.

New tenants at Shelby Oaks include B&B Specialty Contractors, Inc., Empact Medical, Mid-South Music & Sound, Schiller Hardware, Inc., and National Building Systems, Inc. In addition, Foliage Design Systems, Inc., a supplier of office plants, is moving into a new 1,875-square-foot facility at Shelby Oaks; and Dallas Phototonics will open a 2,250-square-foot optical laboratory and offices that are designed to complement Davis Vision.

Belz Industrial Park offers its tenants an unbeatable location near the Mississippi River and I-55. Comprised of free-standing and multi-tenant buildings, the park allows for easy access to anywhere in the country by rail, road, air and water. Belz Industrial Park also offers land parcels up to 20 acres for lease or sale.

Ewing Moving Services, Inc. has expanded operations with the leasing of 275,000 square feet in Belz Industrial Park. The new space is more than triple the size of its existing operation in Memphis.

Originally, American Recycling and Manufacturing Company (ARM) moved from Parkin, Arkansas into 18,000 square feet of space in Belz Industrial Park. The company is now expanding and will soon occupy 84,000 square feet.

For leasing information at Belz's industrial parks, call (901) 260-7350.