Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation

August finish expected for new shell building

Jul 23, 2007
By DEBBIE HALL - Bulletin Staff Writer. Construction of a shell building in the Patriot Centre at Beaver Creek industrial park is on schedule to be complete by late August, according to a Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corp. (EDC) official.

“The roof is the last big thing to be done, and I think that will be done by the end of August,” said Mark Heath, EDC president and CEO.

Parking lot paving has been completed, and “last week they were painting,” he said.

Although construction of the $2.7 million, 75,000-square-foot building is not complete, marketing efforts already are under way.

Marketing managers with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) recently were in town to view the facility, Heath said.

The HART Corp., a national industrial real estate broker, also will market the shell building, he said.

Using the national firm with a regional office in Charlotte, N.C., “was part of the master plan all along,” he said, adding that Tommy Turner, a member of the firm, is a Martinsville native and has family in the area.

“So he knows our market well,” said Heath, adding that he has worked with the HART Corp. for several years on various projects “and I just think they’re tops.”

In addition to the state’s Web site and other Web sites, the shell building will be listed on the EDC’s Web site, Heath said.

“We want to try and put it in front of consultants in every way possible,” he said.

The EDC has identified specific targets for recruitment to the area, including food processing, plastics and motorsports.

The building is located on 19.6 acres at the Patriot Centre and can be expanded up to 154,000 square feet.

Blair Construction Inc. of Gretna is the general contractor for the building, which will have 30-foot ceilings and nearly 5,000 square feet of office space.

The building, a cooperative venture of Henry County, the city of Martinsville, the EDC and The Harvest Foundation, was designed by Eden & Associates of Martinsville.