2C — March 16 - 29, 2018 — Pennsylvania — M id A tlantic
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s regions around the country consider their f utur es and th i nk By Donald Smith, Jr., PhD, RIDC Turning obsolete industrial properties into “Robotics Row” A
about how to become the “next Silicon Valley” or the “next Route 128 Corridor,” it could be in- structive to look at Pitts- b u r g h a n d
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and “great about supplying transition space as we [grow].” - HEBI Robotics is located in RIDC’s Lawrenceville Technol- ogy Center, a former steel mill. They said: “Finding the right space that can accommodate light manufacturing and offices can be a challenge.” - Seegrid is located in RIDC Park West, a former Westing- house Electric facility. “Robotics companies are a challenging business and unpredictable. It’s good to be in a place that understands that and is flexible and accommodating.” Innovative, entrepreneurial companies, particularly those at early stages, apply the same kind of mindset to their real estate needs as they do to other parts of their business. They need locations that provide flexibility, understanding and synergy, and landlords who can continued on page 3C
western Pennsylvania (RIDC) has been fulfilling that need. As a self-sustaining, private nonprofit organization, RIDC's mission is to support economic development in communities around the region by breathing new life into large, vacant facili- ties once home to the giant steel and coal companies that aban- doned them a generation ago. Since RIDC is a mission-driven nonprofit with a large portfolio, it can afford to take a long view of success, often building on spec and working in partnership with early stage companies. Here’s what some of the play- ers in the Pittsburgh market have told us they are looking for when they make location decisions: - Uber Advanced Technologies Group, who worked with RIDC to build a test track for driver- less vehicles, values a property owner that is “pro-innovation”
Donald Smith, Jr.
how it is utilizing assets from its past industrial economy to nurture the growth of the city’s burgeoning robotics industry. The Pittsburgh region is for- tunate to have outstanding universities producing a steady flow of talent to fuel innovation and populate the workforce. Carnegie Mellon University, in particular, is incubating and commercializing numer- ous ventures and is a driving force in the creation of this new industry, which includes major players such as Uber, Google, Argo AI, and Caterpillar. But for an industry to grow, it needs a large supply of suitable real estate – sufficiently flexible to meet the unique needs of di- verse companies at every stage of development. In Pittsburgh, the Regional Industrial Devel- opment Corporation of South-
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FIRST LOGISTICS CENTER @ I-78/81 LEBANON COUNTY, PA
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• 738,720 SF distribution center • Additional pad for 250,200 SF building • Located near intersection of I-78 and I-81 • 10-Year LERTA Tax Abatement Program • 40’ clear height, 135 dock-high doors • 246 trailer stalls, 289 auto stalls • Within one day’s truck drive of 35% of the US population, 51% of Canada’s population • Estimated completion 3Q-2018
Jeff Thomas Sr. Regional Director First Industrial Realty Trust (717) 991.2734 jthomas@firstindustrial.com
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