Schilling Farms Center Lands Two Tenants

By Theresa Bechard
– The Memphis Business Journal –

Interest in Boyle Investment Co.’s $350 million Schilling Farms development continues to be strong, as two more companies have signed long-term leases at the sprawling Collierville mixed-use development.

Thyssen-Dover Elevator has signed a 12,000-square-foot lease at Schilling Farms Business Center, a 62,000-square-foot office/flex facility that is expandable to 86,000 square feet.

The one-story office building, which was completed in April last year, is considered the cornerstone of the Schilling Farms development because of its central location and design.

And the central location of Schilling Farms was a key factor in Thyssen-Dover Elevator’s decision to locate there, says Mike Harless, the company’s vice president of human resources.

Thyssen-Dover Elevator’s corporate offices for its manufacturing division will move to Collierville from its Horn Lake, Miss., facility this month. The Horn Lake location will continue to operate as the company’s field sales office.

"This Collierville site will enable us to better serve our manufacturing facilities in Middleton, Tenn., and Walnut, Miss., "Harless says. Both are about 40 miles away from Collierville. "And obviously, Collierville is a rapidly growing area, so we should be able to attract and retain qualified employees there."

Joining Thyssen-Dover in Schilling Farms Business Center is Memphis-based, Physiotherapy Associates.

The company will open its seventh Memphis-area physical therapy clinic in about 4,000- square feet at the office complex, which is the first office building launched by Boyle at Schilling Farms.Schilling Farms Business Center’s curved facade conforms with a bend in Schilling Boulevard, a main entrance into the 443-acre development.

And while the building is designed for traditional offices uses, the facility is versatile enough to meet a wide range of office needs, says Joel Fulmer, Boyle’s senior vice president.

"One of the nice things about it is that it’s a flex building, but it’s really closer to a Class A facility than an office service building," he says. "This building is meant to appeal to people who value ease of access, as it’s at ground level. We hope there will be more of these to come at Schilling Farms."

Schilling Farms Business Center can accommodate tenants that need warehouse space or call center operations and provides enough parking for medical practices.

The facility has 14 foot ceilings and will provide 336 parking spaces, well above the standard ratio of four spaces per 1,000 square feet of office space.

And speculative office buildings of this type will continue to be developed at Schilling Farms as interest in the project heightens, he says.

"We’ve done these two deals in the last 45 days," he says. "Overall, the idea and concept for Schilling Farms is so unique that it’s been very well-accepted and our velocity in activity will continue."

The project is also well-suited for build-to-suit offices, Fulmer says.

Helena Chemical is building a four-story, 104,000-square-foot headquarters on 6.3 acres on Schilling Boulevard, the main artery of the development that runs between Poplar and Winchester.

It will be located across the street from and south of a $6.5 million Springhill Suites by Marriott hotel being developed by Memphis-based Master Hospitality Services, Inc.

Development at Schilling Farms has escalated in the past year with the addition of a new middle school, Kid Tech day care center, apartment units and a $7 million YMCA facility.

The development’s master plan calls for 70 acres of distribution space, 80 acres of office space and 900 homes, plus retail shops, a hotel, medical facilities, banks, a church and parks.