Proposed North Carolina Port Industrial Facility would be first new global distribution center near Port of Wilmington

BPG Properties, Ltd. (BPG), a leading private equity real estate fund manager, is planning to propose a 975,000-square foot global warehouse/distribution center in Leland Industrial Park, located 10 miles from the Port of Wilmington. The project, named The North Carolina Port Industrial Facility, will be the only new, large, institutional grade facility available to support the Port of Wilmington’s growing container volumes. The port is currently undergoing a major container terminal expansion program. Already in place are four new Post-Panamax container cranes, powerful new container-handling equipment, and a 42-foot navigation channel. These improvements helped attract a second CKYH Alliance container shipping service from north China, joining the existing south China/Asia service.

In addition to its close proximity to the port, the facility's 75-acre site is bordered by an industrial rail line, and is conveniently located near I-40, I-140 and U.S. Highway 74/future I-74, connecting to I-95 an hour away. The proposed distribution center will have highly efficient cross-dock capabilities. Once completed, the distribution center will bring hundreds of jobs to the community of Brunswick County and tens of thousands of new ocean containers over the docks of the Port of Wilmington.

"The proposed site will be the first modern, Class A global distribution center located in and around the Port of Wilmington, North Carolina,” stated Dan DiLella, Jr, vice president of BPG. “The Port of Wilmington is the ideal location for this type of facility due to the state’s growing population, great highway network and its central location between the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions.

Over the past few years, east coast ports have seen growth in container volumes as west coast ports have become more congested and more costly. As a result, land available for development in close proximity to other east coast container ports has become scarce. DiLella added, “Industrial users, particularly big box retailers, want their distribution centers to be located as close to a port as possible to avoid high transportation costs and to improve distribution. Finding available space within 10 miles of other east coast ports has become increasingly more difficult. BPG is encouraged by the double-digit annual growth rate in container volumes of the Port of Wilmington. The North Carolina Port Industrial Facility should present an excellent opportunity for end-users looking to improve their global supply chain and logistics model.”

“Importers and major retailers have demonstrated an increasing need for port diversification, which allows them to get their products to their customers efficiently, quickly and easily,” said Jimmy Yokeley, Director of Distribution Services, NC State Ports Authority, who has worked closely with BPG to bring this project to market. “The proposed Wilmington facility by BPG has tremendous growth and container volume capacity, which helps importers to significantly reduce the landed cost of goods and eliminate days in their global supply chain and distribution operations.”

Brunswick County officials have been working closely with the NC State Ports Authority and BPG to make the project a success.

“The proposed facility will bring hundreds of jobs and provide a steady tax base to the citizens of Brunswick County,” said Jim Bradshaw, Executive Director of Economic Development, Brunswick County. “In the long term, we believe the facility will encourage other port related industries to relocate to Brunswick County and help fuel our local and global economy.”

BPG Properties has engaged CBRE’s Raleigh, NC, office to be the exclusive listing agent for the project.

Rebecca Devine
Maven Communications
267-546-9009
rdevine@mavenagency.com

About BPG Properties, Ltd.
BPG Properties, Ltd. is a private equity real estate fund manager based in the Philadelphia area. The firm’s portfolio consists of over 20 million square feet of office, retail, student housing and industrial properties and more than 25,000 apartment units in over 100 communities located throughout the United States. For additional information on BPG, please visit www.bpgltd.com.

For more information about BPG Properties, Ltd., please contact:
Holly Reynolds, Vice President, 215-575-2363

For more information on the project, please contact:
Dan DiLella, Jr., Vice President, 215-575-2352