Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1362760
06 Hartford Business Journal | April 19, 2021 | HartfordBusiness.com Industrial space's center of it all W hen it comes to warehousing and logistics, what is the allure of Connecticut? Three words describe what is motivating commercial buyers: "Compressed delivery times," according to Adam Winstanley, principal at Winstanley Enterprises, a developer with a construction division based in New Haven. Less time from Point A to Point B is now how we shop and transfer goods from business to business — a practice that shows no signs of stopping. Connecticut's available land, main transit routes like I-84 and I-91 and existing infrastructure are ready and waiting. "That's the impetus driving the market," he said of our new demands of faster delivery. "Whatever company you can think of requires a presence now in New England," he said, with Connecticut central to that, with significant highway systems. "Connecticut is really servicing Metro Boston, but also Western Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Rhode Island," said Winstanley, making the area a linchpin in logistics. Tenants' choice The use of industrial space doesn't encompass only one sector of the market, either, said Tim Lescalleet, executive vice president of Bloomfield-based INDUS Realty Trust Inc. Warehouse leasing activity is for both B2B and B2C uses, across industries, said Lescalleet, in various situations. "Users are coming in and consolidating what they have already in the region. Or it can be a case where they are not in this market yet and new to the area. Then you have other distributors that are upgrading, or reconfiguring logistical patterns of their company," he said. Lescalleet said B2C eCommerce companies have more of a driving need to locate closer to their customer base. "A tire manufacturer or distributor can still get to a UPS air facility as late as 3:30 in the afternoon and get its products out next day. But an eCommerce company that wants to do same-day or overnight delivery may need to have multiple locations closer to the metro areas it is serving," he said. "It all depends on the use." By Susan Shalhoub In Manchester, 1339 Tolland Turnpike is a renovated, multi-tenant distribution center purchased by Winstanley in 2018. It is fully occupied by J.C. Penney, Ahold Delhaize and Amazon. At 1.95 million square feet, on over 162 acres, the highway is easily accessible to the site. " " "Whatever company you can think of requires a presence now in New England." Adam Winstanley, Principal, Winstanley Enterprises