This Week's Philadelphia Deal Sheet
Architecture firm Moody Nolan has a new leader for its Philadelphia practice.
Louis Chang now leads Moody Nolan Philadelphia as associate principal and director of operations, having most recently worked as a design leader for Nelson Worldwide. He will step in to lead a firm engaged in the design phase for Chapel Block, a forthcoming mixed-use project from Ensemble/Mosaic at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.
In previous work stops, Chang worked on a $30M renovation of Terminal B in the Philadelphia International Airport and the conversion of music venue Union Transfer from a former Reading Railroad luggage transfer building at 10th and Spring Garden streets.
PEOPLE
On Friday, the city of Philadelphia celebrated the graduation of eight diverse Philadelphians from the Finishing Trades Academy, one of several initiatives underway across the city to grow the labor force for construction in the city while broadening access to such jobs for historically underserved communities.
The eight graduates of the multiweek paid training course will now select between one of five specializations in which to apply for apprenticeship programs: commercial painting, drywall finishing, wall covering, glazing and industrial bridge painting.
The Finishing Trades Academy is a partnership of the Finishing Trades Institute at 2190 Hornig Road in Far Northeast Philadelphia and the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 21, the local group for unions in the finishing trades.
LEASING
Post Brothers has landed its first tenant for the 50K SF office portion at its mixed-use redevelopment of a former industrial building in the Poplar neighborhood, aptly named The Poplar.
Home healthcare provider 365 Health Services will occupy a 3.2K SF suite on the building's second floor, one of four pre-built suites Post Brothers developed below the 285-unit multifamily component at 900 North Ninth St.
***
Delco Logistics Center, a newly developed, two-building distribution complex in the township of Eddystone, has landed a tenant at one of its buildings, the Philadelphia Business Journal reports. Swiss chocolatier Barry Callebaut leased a 350K SF warehouse from landlord WPT Capital Advisors, which purchased Delco Logistics Center from Alliance HP late last year for $239M.
Barry Callebaut will use the facility to store cocoa beans and other products for processing and manufacturing at an adjacent, 388K SF factory it leases from another landlord. Cushman & Wakefield is still marketing the other 420K SF building at Delco Logistics Center for lease.
***
Wholesale distributor Thayer Distribution has leased 88K SF of warehouse space in the two-building Springbrooke Trade Center complex in the Delaware County township of Aston. Thayer already occupies the 274K SF Building 2 at Springbrooke, and it agreed to extend its lease term there in addition to its new lease at the 210K SF Building 1.
Trammell Crow Co. developed Springbrooke Trade Center with equity partner Affinius Capital and delivered it last year
