ASPire Expands by 11,416 Sq Ft, Marcus & Millichap, Stifel and Nationwide Ventures, LLC to Relocate to MetWest
TAMPA, Fla. – Leasing activity at MetWest International, MetLife’s mixed-use development located in Tampa’s Westshore Business District, continues to gain momentum with over 57,000 square feet of leases in the third and fourth quarter of 2012. Taylor & Mathis Managing Director of Leasing Angela Odell completed five leasing transactions on behalf of owner MetLife. These recent transactions combined bring One MetroCenter and MetWest One to 85% and 88% leased respectively. The third office building, MetWest Two, is 100% leased as a build-to-suit for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
Some of the recent leasing transactions include:
At One MetroCenter
Less than two years after moving to One MetroCenter ASPire Financial Services, an interactive web Application Service Provider (ASP) agency for the retirement plan industry, has doubled their office space leasing an additional 11,416 square feet. The firm now leases 21,679 square feet. KC Tenukas and Lara Sieder of CLW Real Estate Services Group represented ASPire in the negotiations. http://www.aspirefinserv.com/
Stifel, Nicolaus & Company has leased 2,046 square feet. The brokerage and investment banking firm will relocate to One MetroCenter in January. The deal was co-brokered by Jay Stewart (Chicago) and Lisa Coulter (Tampa) of Cushman & Wakefield. www.stifel.com
Nationwide Ventures, LLC, a search engine marketing agency, moved to One MetroCenter in October signing a lease for 1,691 square feet. The deal was co-brokered by Jeff Lanning of Cushman & Wakefield.
At MetWest One
Marcus & Millichap has signed a new lease for 8,828 square feet. The commercial real estate investment services firm will relocate their offices from Rocky Point to MetWest International in February. The deal was co-brokered by Brent Miller with Jones Lang LaSalle. According to Miller, Marcus & Millichap decided to relocate from their current location of over 15 years based not only on a superior location, but more importantly the quality of the office park and the proximity to amenities within and surrounding the MetWest development. Marcus & Millichap in their 60+ offices throughout the country leases top tier office spaces in an attempt to attract and retain top tier professionals. Jones Lang LaSalle and Marcus & Millichap’s corporate real estate executives thoroughly surveyed the entire Tampa market and kept coming back to MetWest. http://www.marcusmillichap.com
About MetWest International
MetWest International is an award winning, mixed-use center developed by MetLife. Located across from Tampa International Airport and International Plaza in the Westshore Business District, MetWest International includes One MetroCenter, the Gold LEED Certified MetWest One and MetWest Two. A third office building will be started as demand dictates. Two well known restaurants, Kona Grill and Texas de Brazil, have located their first Tampa locations in the project’s retail village with a third Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant scheduled to open early next year. When complete, the pedestrian-friendly, urban-oriented development and is expected to include:
- Nearly one million square feet of Class A office space
- 74,200 square foot retail village
- 260 room full-service upscale hotel
- 254 residential units
The project has received four Best of the Best NAIOP awards, including Outstanding Green Building/Project, Outstanding Office Building (MetWest One) and Outstanding Retail Building. Additionally, Taylor & Mathis was awarded Developer of the Year for their role in developing the mixed-use project. Taylor & Mathis serves as the development manager for the project and handles office leasing and management responsibilities.
Other awards include The United States Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Florida Gulf Coast Chapter Outstanding Project of the Year (MetWest One), The Greater Tampa Bay chapter of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) Office Building of the Year and the BOMA 360 Performance Building designation (One MetroCenter). Both MetWest One and One MetroCenter have achieved EPA Energy Star ratings. In addition, MetWest Two has been designed for LEED Certification by the US Green Building Council.
About MetLife
Through its real estate investments department, MetLife oversees a well diversified real estate investment portfolio of more than $60 billion, which is one of the largest in the U.S. and consists of real estate equities, commercial mortgages and agricultural mortgages. MetLife is a global leader in real estate investment and real estate asset management, with a vast network of regional offices that keep in close contact with the major real estate markets. MetLife’s real estate investment focus includes office, multi-family, industrial and retail properties. For more information, visit www.metlife.com/realestate.
About Taylor & Mathis
Taylor & Mathis serves as the development manager for the project and handles leasing and management responsibilities. Taylor & Mathis is a diversified real estate company specializing in the development, marketing and management of office buildings, suburban office parks, industrial parks and mixed-use projects. In Florida the company leases and/or manages a portfolio over 11 million square feet. Founded in 1967, the company has developed properties exceeding $1.9 billion in value and has established itself as one of the most respected regional real estate firms in the United States. Based in Atlanta, with offices in Tampa and Miami, Taylor & Mathis concentrates its business activity in primary growth markets in the southeastern United States. For more information, visit www.TaylorMathis.com.