“Yeah, we can do that.”
That’s the motto of BNSF Logistics, which recently announced the move of its worldwide headquarters (and 50 employees) from Grapevine to Flower Mound.
“This move,” emphasized Jimmy Stathatos, town manager of Flower Mound, “is just the start.”
“There is a lot of pent-up demand and we expect many more announcements of companies moving to Flower Mound.”
Stathatos added that companies coming to the Lakeside Business District will provide customers for Lakeside DFW’s shops and restaurants, which should be completed in the summer of 2014.
And in turn, those shops and restaurants will help attract more businesses to the nearly 1 million sf of vacant land in the business district.
The move of BNSF Logistics, whose employees consult with clients on supply chain strategies, illustrates how the character of Flower Mound’s Lakeside Business District has been evolving, and where it is headed.
“The Lakeside Business District now offers a lot of flex office uses,” said Barney Sinclair, vice president of Exeter Property Group, which owns the 38,000 sf BNSF Logistics is leasing in the Lakeside Commerce Center (located at 1600 Lakeside Parkway).
“There is room for companies that might have a need for some production or assembly areas. But it’s the office uses that are really growing.”
Some of the prospects for the area include a couple of well-known companies.
“I can’t tell you who they are,” said Stathatos, “but you would know their names.”
Exeter is betting on many more businesses choosing Flower Mound.
Last week, the company broke ground on a 230,000-sf speculative office and industrial building is the next phase of the company’s project on Lakeside Pkwy., west of Gerault.
Plans for a second building of 350,000 sf next door sit at the ready.
“I am a big fan of Flower Mound,” Sinclair said. “People like the high quality infrastructure, the business environment, and the outstanding caliber of the residential areas.”
“It may surprise some,” said Stathatos, “but proximity to the airport is not always the driving factor.”
As far as the business climate goes, Stathatos appears to be making headway in re-introducing Flower Mound to the development community.
“I want decision-makers to know that we’re not going to change the rules on them. That message is just now getting out there.”
With the volume and wide array of space coming on line in the Lakeside Business District as well as in Lakeside DFW, Flower Mound will soon be able to attract and accommodate any size business.
And Stathatos can tell them, “Yeah, we can do that.”
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