The Stapleton Business Center North by Murray & Strafford Inc.

From the Airways Business Center in Aurora, Colorado, to the Coors Distribution Center and the Denver Commerce Center, Denver-based Murray & Strafford Inc. (Murray & Strafford) has more than 40 years of experience in developing large warehouse and industrial facilities with more than 6 million square feet of completed remodels, core and shell and tilt-up construction to date. Since 1966, Murray & Strafford has been one of Colorado’s choice commercial general contractors.

“We’ve worked in all aspects of commercial construction, ranging from retail markets to industrial warehouse buildings, office buildings to new tenant spaces and renovation projects,” details Tony Stoffel, project manager for Murray & Strafford.

With more than 40 years of experience in the Denver area, Murray & Strafford has an outstanding team of approximately 100 professionals, versed in all phases of construction and the company has established an excellent following with area subcontractors and suppliers. Well within the firm’s wheelhouse are industrial-warehouse facilities, such as the Stapleton Business Center North (SBCN), offering numerous industrial warehousing options and leasable space.

Background: Direct to Denver

Located in the mixed-use residential and business area, Stapleton Denver is a close, convenient and competitively priced property 15 minutes from downtown Denver and 20 minutes from the Denver International Airport. Already home to top businesses such as SMA Solar Technology, Sysco Food Services, U.S. Bank and the FBI’s new LEED-certified regional headquarters, the development is, “high-performance workplace meets critical business requirements,” says the Stapleton Denver website.

According to Stapleton Denver, close proximity to the city coupled with tax benefits, aggressive real estate options and access to the Denver region’s highly-educated and talented labor pool, make the area an attractive destination for business. The area offers numerous commercial property options from retail to office, campus to build-to-suit, transit developments, as well as acres of ready-to-build land that’s highway accessible.

In conjunction to the budding business in the residential and retail sector at Stapleton Denver, is a large-scale industrial park, home of SBCN. San Francisco based developer of industrial real estate, Prologis, announced the construction of the five industrial warehousing buildings in July 2014, says the Denver Business Journal.

Scope of work

Murray & Strafford was appointed general contractor on the SBCN development. “Overall the project entails repurposing 1.2 million square feet of new warehousing space, including twin industrial warehousing buildings,” tells Stoffel. “The whole new Stapleton Denver development spans 80 acres. But on just the industrial warehousing side, we have completed the first building and the second is underway with a spring 2015 completion date.”

The development has been so popular the Denver Business Journal (DBJ) says leasable warehousing space has been scooped up, even before construction is complete. “A large lease by HD Supply Facilities Maintenance Ltd. at the Prologis Stapleton Business Center North (SBCN) will bring the complex to full capacity, even before construction is complete,” reports DBJ. “The company has pre-leased 261,000 square feet in the SBCN, bringing the industrial park to capacity before it is complete.”

Scot Lamson, president of Prologis’ northwest region, told the DBJ the final signed lease speaks to the state of the industrial market in Denver. “We are pleased to extend our relationship with HD Supply to seven U.S. markets,” says Lamson. “Market occupancy in Denver is at a 15-year high of 95 percent, and we are developing logistics facilities to meet demand for Class A product while monetizing our land bank.”

While this means good news for the Denver economy, Stoffel says finding construction and subcontractor manpower has been the project’s biggest hurdle. “Through the recession, companies were forced to cut back and let people go, so now the trades are suffering,” he measures. “We’ll see if this gets better, but for now this is the biggest challenge for us.”

As a strong and steady workforce returns to Colorado, Stapleton Denver and the industrial side of the development at the Stapleton Business Center North are landmark developments for the region, ones in which Murray & Strafford Inc. is an integral player.