Corporate users continue to buy when the price and place is right. For Airgas Inc., the 200,000-square-foot flex building at 3025 Evergreen Drive in Duluth proved to be both.

Daimler sold the building, which has 32,000 square feet of office space, to Airgas for $26 per square foot. Ben Logue and Price Weaver of Colliers represented Daimler, while Steve Taylor of The Taylor Co. represented Airgas in the transaction.

 
Daimler originally built the facility in 1990 for Daimler Trucks North America's Southeast parts distribution center and executive offices.

Whether it's one building or one portfolio at a time, Transwestern's agency team continues to pick up leasing assignments at a steady pace. Despite the recession, Transwestern's metro Atlanta agency leasing portfolio has increased 150 percent over the past two years, and the company has tripled headcount and added two Florida offices guided by Bruce Ford, Transwestern's Southeast president based here.

 
The latest win involves the leasing assignment for Du Rhone Group's Druid Pointe in Northeast Atlanta. Transwestern's Chandler Spratlin, Jeff Taylor and Jeremy Adams will lease the 100,855-square-foot Class-A office building at 2751 Buford Highway. Located a few blocks from Interstate 85, the building has an existing data center and large generator in place and offers blocks of space from 1,000 square feet to 65,000 square feet.

This is not Spratlin's first rodeo in the Buford Highway/Northeast corridor, as he has led leasing efforts for a number of different properties in the submarket over the years, experience that helped land the Druid Pointe assignment, Du Rhone Group Executive Vice President Neil Smith said.

"There's no learning curve involved with Chandler, Jeff and Jeremy knowing the building and the market, and they have a proven approach to enhancing building occupancy and value," Smith said.

 
With the new assignment, Transwestern's Atlanta leasing portfolio now totals 21.8 million square feet.

From their new location in Buckhead's Prominence building, the gang at CresaPartners can see storms roll in and out across the city.

 
As far as Atlanta commercial real estate and their tenant-rep clients, the forecast is partly sunny - or partly cloudy, depending on how you look at it. Generally, owners' concessions are starting to cool off a bit, but, as exclusive tenant-rep guys, it's especially important to discern owners' financial health and how the tenant plays into what might be a make-or-break scenario for the landlord's ability to hold on to a building. At some point, the other shoe drops on the blend, extend and pretend loans of the recent past.

 
"You'll see some really attractive deals because they'll have to make that deal," said Bubba Chrismer, a managing principal at CresaPartners. "It's critical to retain that tenant, or the building's under water."

Last week's move from the Central Perimeter to Buckhead adds 30 percent more office space for Cresa, a growing firm that recently added the Miller Richmond team of Bogue Miller and David Rubenstein and plans further expansion as long as the fit is right.

"We're extremely bullish on growing our office here in Atlanta," said Tom Tindall, managing principal at Cresa. "We serve a sector that isn't going away. We don't ride the peaks and valleys of the investment or development cycle."

We like the smart kids, and we like a good party. Next month offers plenty of both.

Students from top business schools from around the state will make their final presentations for the 2011 NAIOP School Challenge Thursday, April 14, 7:15 to 11:30 a.m., location TBD. This year's case study challenges the students to propose revitalization of Atlanta's next emerging property.

The following week, the ACBR's Young Council of Realtors welcomes spring with happy hour at Buckhead Saloon on Wednesday, April 20. The fun starts at 5:30 and includes live music with Bradley Smith and Nelson Nolan.

Real Estate Rooster is looking for an intern, a sharp young mind with an interest in real estate, marketing and journalism/writing and the desire to be a part of a growing team and media empire. If you're interested or know someone who is,  contact us.

We're also looking to expand our staff with an experienced sales and marketing pro who knows the ins and outs of our industry and how to exceed advertisers' expectations. Interested?  Contact us.