Dragonfly Investments executives and their guests celebrated a milestone Oct. 30 in the construction of the company’s Dragonfly Commerce Park with the old Irish tradition of tossing pennies into a building’s foundation to ensure prosperity for the tenants and community.
“A penny toss is the perfect way to mark this moment in our development,” said Jason Morjain, managing member of Dragonfly Investments. “We missed the boat on the groundbreaking because Itasca Construction was moving so fast with our project, but this is even better. The tradition of fortifying the foundation with pennies is fitting as the foundation supports everything else, ensuring what we do here will last.”
At buildout, the Class A multi-tenant industrial development at 12050 SW Tom Mackie Boulevard, Port St. Lucie, Florida, in the Tradition Center for Commerce, will offer four divisible rear-load buildings totaling 407,099 square feet with quality tilt-up construction, robust electrical service for manufacturing and life sciences tenants, and 180-foot-deep truck courts.
“Dragonfly Commerce Park was created to fill an unmet demand for high quality Class A facilities for tenants needing 12,000 to 24,000 square feet of space. I don’t think there is anything like it in the county,” said Ted Konigsberg, SIOR, president of Infinity Commercial Real Estate and broker for the park.
“We are not just putting up shell buildings, we are delivering move-in-ready suites at 18,000 and 24,000 square feet in two of our buildings and offering true build-to-suit spaces in the other buildings. We can accommodate tenants up to 127,000 square feet and are delivering spaces this summer. Dragonfly Commerce Park will have abundant landscaping, a fountain and tons of parking,” Konigsberg added.
“In the last three or four years, we’ve seen some of the biggest companies in the world – like Amazon, Costco, and FedEx -- find their way to our city and that is fantastic but I’m a small businessperson and it really excites me to see space being constructed that can become home base for smaller businesses as well,” said Port St. Lucie Councilwoman Stephanie Morgan. “Port St. Lucie is a place where small businesses thrive.”
“Six years ago, literally nothing was here in Southern Grove. It has been an absolute pleasure to see this jobs corridor grow; to see commercial, manufacturing and industrial businesses complement the residential growth,” said State Representative Toby Overdorf.
“Port St. Lucie and St. Lucie County are doing it right. Projects like this one are game changing, not just for the area but for the state,” said Austin Carroll, senior lending officer for Seacoast Bank which provided the financing for the project. Seacoast is headquartered on the Treasure Coast and has almost 80 offices throughout the state.
“Small business drives our economy. Seacoast has been partnering with businesses here for 100 years; this market has been so influential for us. Seacoast is here for the long term and companies like Dragonfly Investments are what helps make us so successful,” said Robert Barfield, Seacoast Bank regional market president.
“This development will bring high-paying jobs in manufacturing, life sciences, and other key industries to the area,” said Pete Tesch, president of the Economic Development Council of St. Lucie County (EDC). “The EDC is working closely with Dragonfly Investments to attract businesses that align with the community’s vision for long-term growth, and I know they’ll have great success with this project. The demand for these spaces is already evident.”
The first tenant to lease space in Dragonfly Commerce Park is Florida Forklift. “John Gehrhardt, president of Florida Forklift, told me he simply couldn’t find another project like ours in the area, after searching for a year,” said Konigsberg.
In addition to the commerce park, Dragonfly Investments has also developed Dragonfly Educational Park and retail properties at City Fountain Center in Port St. Lucie.