Holladay Properties was recognized by the NAIOP — Indiana chapter as the “2014 Developer of the Year” at their sixth annual real estate awards program held last night at the Conrad Hotel in downtown Indianapolis. NAIOP – Indiana also recognized other real estate firms for various “Projects of the Year,” ranging from Office to Industrial to Mixed Use. Holladay earned the illustrious “Developer of the Year” award due in large part to the activity in its 1,500-acre AmeriPlex business park, which is located by the Indianapolis International Airport on the city’s southwest side.
That activity included the sale of 177 acres at a value of $18 million, with sales ranging from user-driven projects for Fast Park & Relax, FedEx, Specialty Bakery and Holiday Inn, to two significant acquisitions by Atlanta, GA-based Industrial Developments International (IDI), who acquired two sites totaling 75 acres within AmeriPlex’s “World Connect” logistics campus for two modern, bulk logistics facilities. The additional capital investment on these 177 acres will exceed $100 million and will add over a 1,000 new jobs to the area, bringing the total jobs within AmeriPlex to over 7,000.
“When we first began AmeriPlex back in 1994 — when it was just cornfields — our goal was to create a master-planned project with high development standards, and one that would attract significant capital investment and job creation that would benefit the City of Indianapolis and add to the vibrancy of the Central Indiana market,” said John Phair, President and CEO, who attended the event to accept the award for Holladay Properties. “To the City of Indianapolis and Decatur Township, we know that that activity really means something, and we’re just so proud that our investment and management and development of the AmeriPlex park is really paying dividends not just for us, but the community as a whole.”
It has taken two decades of master planning and adherence to high development standards to bring AmeriPlex to the level of growth it has achieved today. The project has also received extensive support from key stakeholders who invested in the park, as well as the local Decatur Township community and the Decatur Township Civic Council (DTCC), who had championed the creation of AmeriPlex back in the early 90’s.
“Nearly all of the transactions required some form of public support, and the DTCC was always there for us in those arenas, and we so appreciate that partnership and relationship with the DTCC,” said Holladay’s partner in-charge of the Indianapolis market, Chris Wilkes. “Also, regarding the investments in the World Connect area of the park, we want to recognize and appreciate the City of Indianapolis in helping us create that logistics campus platform, a platform that is now allowing Indianapolis to once again be a leader in that capital investment and job creation in that important logistics economic cluster.”
Land projects have seen trying times in recent years and Holladay Properties is proud to be recognized by NAIOP — Indiana for its landmark year in 2013. Several other developers were considered for the award and the recognition is well-deserved by the team at Holladay’s Indianapolis-based office.
“Every one of the other developers nominated could have received this award just the same, so in that sense we are truly humbled to be recognized as the Developer of the Year,” said Wilkes. “We are excited to use the activity and momentum of 2013 to continue attracting capital investment and job creation to AmeriPlex and Central Indiana in 2014 and beyond.”