news-record.com

NEWS

Dell hires broker to market plant

Wednesday, September 22, 2010
(Updated 1:04 pm)

WINSTON-SALEM (MCT) — Dell Inc. has chosen a Chicago real-estate broker to handle the marketing of its $110 million manufacturing plant in Winston-Salem.

Jones Lang LaSalle gained the contract this week, the company said Tuesday.

The 750,000-square-foot building, which opened in 2005, will be marketed as Triad Technology Center, said Chris Skibinski, the company's managing director of logistics and industrial properties for its Charlotte office. Simpson Schulman & Beard, a real-estate company in Greensboro, will assist in the marketing.

''We're just ramping up our efforts and determining Dell's plans," Skibinski said. "Dell prefers to sell the plant to a single buyer, but has expressed a willingness to be flexible for leasing it on a long-term basis."

Skibinski said that Dell has not disclosed a sale price publicly.

Dell announced in October 2009 its plans to close the desktop-assembly plant.

The plant operated on borrowed time for more than a year as Dell postponed the shutdown four times because of a surge in demand from businesses wanting new desktops and other technologies.

However, on Sept. 10, Dell said it planned to close the plant for good in November, with most of the remaining 575 full-time and contract employees being let go by the end of October.

David Frink, a Dell spokesman, said yesterday that no decision has been made about how quickly it would leave the plant. A task force was formed soon after Dell made its initial plant decision to find a new user or users for the plant.

Skibinski said he is confident that the plant will attract widespread interest.

''It is probably the finest manufacturing plant available in the Carolinas, if not the entire East Coast," Skibinski said. "There are many businesses that would need that kind of space, such as lithium battery and solar-panel manufacturers. It would be attractive to suppliers to Caterpillar, HondaJet or FedEx at the airport."

Accompanying Photos

Nelson Kepley

Photo Caption: The Dell plant in Winston-Salem.

Comments

This article has been closed to new comments. Comments are generally closed after 14 days. However, comments may be closed earlier at the discretion of the News & Record.

Inappropriate content? Please report abuse.

Escapee1

September 22, 2010 - 2:22 pm EDT

Yet another smack to the local economy by Dell...Why couldn't they choose a local realty company to handle this transaction? There are several well respected companies HERE that could have handled this...Disappointing...

notBOB

September 22, 2010 - 4:32 pm EDT

Hmmm...I don't know if it's such a horrible thing by them not picking a local real estate company. Chances are the one they picked has more experience selling a manufacturing facility than most local companies.

Depending on the 'prestige' of the Chicago company, the plant could be sold fast. If what they are saying about it, is true.

If it takes an outside firm to bring back 500 jobs, why not?

cskibinski

September 23, 2010 - 10:32 am EDT

Just so you all are both aware....while HQ'd in Chicago, we have an office in Charlotte. We have extensive experience selling these types of facilities. Furthermore, we are teamed up locally with another firm.

eMail Updates

Advertisement | Advertise with Us

Featured Ads

Search

Advertisement | Advertise with Us
Advertisement | Advertise with Us
Advertisement | Advertise with Us

News & Record Network Sites

User Tools

  • Social Networking
  • RSS
  • Share
  • Sign in to MyNR

Search