Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation

Marketing strategy is being created for former-mill-turned-office-building

Nov 21, 2007
By MICKEY POWELL - Bulletin Staff Writer. The company that owns Commonwealth Centre plans to begin aggressively marketing the former-textile-mill-turned-office-building, with help from local and state officials, in mid-December.

Renovations to the four-story, 175,000-square-foot complex, which include the installation of a clock tower, should be completed by then, according to George W. Lester II, chief executive officer of The Lester Group, which owns the site.

Because of the tower, which also contains elevators and a stairwell, plans are to rename the complex “The Clock Tower at Commonwealth Centre,” he said.

A marketing plan for Commonwealth Centre, the former Tultex Corp. factory beside Franklin Street and Commonwealth Boulevard, is being developed by a Richmond firm, Lester said.

The plan will be shared with state and local economic developers, he said.

A lot of firms have shown interest in Commonwealth Centre, said Mark Heath, president and CEO of the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corp. (EDC). He declined to say how many, but he said that inquiries are coming in “pretty frequently.”

With recent renovations, “it shows very well” to prospective tenants, said Heath, adding that Virginia Economic Development Partnership officials who recently visited Commonwealth Centre were impressed.

Commonwealth Centre always is recommended by local and state officials, he said, when they receive inquiries about what space is appropriate in the Martinsville-Henry County area for call centers and data centers.

Tier Technologies Inc., a call center that handles child support enforcement matters, has been the center’s main tenant since May 2006. Approximately 80 local jobs were created by that company.

Lester said his firm has an office in Commonwealth Centre, and several small businesses use some of the complex for warehouse space.

About 152,000 square feet of floor space is available, according to the Web site of Lester Properties, an affiliate of The Lester Group.

The goal is to lure to Commonwealth Centre firms from Northern Virginia that are looking for space outside that bustling region and that will offer local workers hourly wages of $15 or more, Lester said.
That is why the center is undergoing extensive remodeling — to make it attractive to companies seeking upscale facilities, he indicated.

Inside, “we want to be able to customize space for individual users quickly,” Lester said. A tenant could use as little as 5,000 square feet, or one tenant could take all of the remaining 152,000 square feet, he said.

Lots of windows have been installed in centre’s side facing Franklin Street, and there is room for more, Lester pointed out.

From its location, people on upper levels can see mountains as far as Franklin County and the Blue Ridge Parkway, he said.

Perhaps the most noticeable upgrade, though, is the brown clock tower. It is a sharp contrast from the red brick on the rest of the complex.

“We wanted a little bit of a contrast,” Lester said.

The clock was installed, he said, because it is “something useful” for people in a busy part of Martinsville.

Installation of the clock “probably was one of the best decisions we made,” he said of developers.

Other renovations include new air-conditioning and heating systems, new plumbing fixtures, more stairwells to help people inside flee in case of a fire and features to improve disabled people’s access to the building.

Part of Franklin Street has been rerouted to accommodate the clock tower, and a new sidewalk has been installed. The parking lot is to be paved soon, and “heavy landscaping” will be installed to make the lot resemble a park, Lester said.

The stretch of Franklin Street next to Commonwealth Centre has not yet reopened but will soon, he said.

Martinsville Public Works Director Leon Towarnicki could not be reached Tuesday for a timetable.

The city made about $150,000 worth of in-kind contributions in rerouting the street and moving utility lines to accommodate the renovations. Lester estimated his firm has spent more than $3 million on renovations.

“We feel good about it creating jobs” in the future, he said.