E-mail Story
Print Friendly
Send E-mail
Reprint story
Monday, July 05, 2010
Low-Key Tech Firm Moves To Mesa del Sol
By Richard Metcalf
Of the Journal
A re-energized local supplier of technical services is expanding with a move to the former Advent Solar building at Mesa del Sol.
"We have 40 people working 24/7 now," said Steve Cox, CEO of global operations at MSR-FSR. "We will have 65-70 people before the end of this year."
The company, which traces its roots back to 1996 in Albuquerque, is going to occupy more than half of the 87,596-square-foot building at 5600 University SE vacated by Advent Solar last year. MSR-FSR – stands for Field Support Resources and Material Support Resources – currently has about 14,000 square feet at 5601 Midway Park Place NE.
MSR-FSR is making the move without the fanfare that accompanied the recent announcement that CFV Solar Test Laboratory and the Fraunhofer Research and Development Facility were planning to take space in the same building. The test lab and the research facility are considered economic development home runs.
MSR-FSR, on the other hand, is a private company that's growing organically in the local economy. A big reason for its expansion is landing the service contract to launder the "bunny suits" and other apparel worn in the clean rooms at Intel Corp.'s chip-making plant in Rio Rancho, Cox said.
"We're starting from scratch," he said.
The company is investing $2 million to get the laundering service on line, he said. Last month, the first two high-tech washing machines were delivered, each weighing nine tons and capable of doing 600 lbs. of laundry at a time. An estimated 25,000 to 30,000 articles of clean-room clothing are expected to be washed each week.
The company provides support services to the semiconductor, solar and pharmaceutical industries, including material and equipment supply, cleaning, repair, removal, conversion and installation. It is a supplier for Schott Solar, which will be one of its neighbors at the Mesa del Sol master-planned community south of the airport. It also works as a contractor and subcontractor in various capacities at Sandia National Laboratories.
The LEED-certified building at 5600 University SE was custom-built for the now-defunct Advent Solar in 2006. CFV Solar and Fraunhofer will take a combined 27,000 square feet, while MSR-FSR will occupy 46,000 square feet and use the existing clean room.
"It's a pretty big coup given this commercial real estate market," said Jason Lott, director of leasing at Mesa del Sol developer and building owner Forest City Covington. He attributed the success of simultaneously landing three tenants in one building to the future potential of the community, which is still in an early stage of development.
"People understand the vision at Mesa del Sol," Lott said. "They understand it will be a special place."
Jim Smith of CB Richard Ellis was the point man in the MSR-FSR lease. Terri Dettweiler and Scott Whitefield are marketing the remaining 6,704 square feet of available office space in the building.
MSR-FSR operated for years as ATMI Fab Services until its Danbury, Conn.-based parent company sold it and other noncore operations to a Canadian investment group in 2004. Cox said he was brought in to find a buyer when the investment group decided to sell the former ATMI operations in Albuquerque and elsewhere.
Recognizing the potential of the operations, Cox organized a management buyout in May 2009 and five operations were consolidated into MSR-FSR. In addition to Albuquerque, the company now has operations in Chandler, Ariz., which serves as its headquarters, as well as Gresham, Ore., and County Kildare, Ireland.
Janitor supplier expands
Locally owned Shamrock's Discount Janitor Supply is quadrupling in size with a move last week to a 16,058-square-foot retail building at 2511 San Mateo NE, a much higher-profile building than its previous location near McLeod and Jefferson NE.
"The traffic count here could do some amazing things for us," said Tony McConaghy, who founded the company in 1989. "We have a lot of homeowners who want commercial products to clean with. Most of my competition doesn't like walk-in business. We love that business."
Formerly housing a music store, the building on San Mateo, just south of Menaul, has great signage opportunities for Shamrock's Supply, which previously occupied about 4,000 square feet at 4814 Hardware Dr. NE for eight years. The new location, originally built as a grocery store in the 1950s, got a make-over with much of the work done by the company's 11 employees.
"I don't like to borrow money, so we've gone out of pocket to do all the cosmetic stuff," McConaghy said. "I sold my Mustang convertible to pay for the stucco."
The building had been repossessed by the lender, then marketed at an asking price of $1.3 million by Patti Peixotto's team at CB Richard Ellis. McConaghy was represented in his purchase by Art Paterson of Sperry Van Ness/Walt Arnold Brokerage Inc.
Despite the recession McConaghy said the company has seen 15 percent growth in revenue each of the last two years through an emphasis on customer service and diversity. In addition to being a wholesale supplier of janitorial products, Shamrock's Supply rents and provides training for cleaning equipment. It also provides outsourced inventory control of cleaning supplies for both public and private buildings.
Albuquerque Public Schools is one of the company's major customers and each year, it hosts several hundred school custodians for lunch and entertainment as a way to show its appreciation. "Most custodians feel invisible," McConaghy said. "I hate that."
A member of the Fellowship of Companies for Christ International, Shamrock's Supply will make its 1,600-square-foot training room available free of charge for local ministries to use. "It's a way for us to give back," McConaghy said.
Construction job stats
The Albuquerque metro area ranks in the bottom half of 337 cities when it comes to the percentage of construction jobs lost in the 12 months leading up to May of this year, according to an analysis of federal labor statistics by the Arlington, Va.-based Associated General Contractors.
Ranked at 215, Albuquerque was tied with 24 other cites in having a 10 percent year-over-year decline in construction jobs as of May. Las Cruces ranked at little higher at 180 with an 8 percent construction job loss. Santa Fe ranked near the bottom at 318 with an 18 percent job loss.
Losing construction jobs has been commonplace, with 294 of 337 cities seeing a net loss between May 2009 and May 2010. Relatively small Eau Claire, Wis., ranked number one with a 17 percent gain, while Chico, Calif., came in last with a 33 percent job loss.
The AGC said it is urging Congress and the Obama administration to pass a number of multiyear infrastructure improvement bills to help the construction industry improve employment.
Richard Metcalf covers commercial real estate for the Journal. You may reach him at 823-3972 or rmetcalf@abqjournal.com.
You also can send comments via our comment form
|
|
