New Century Business park expands, names master developer

New Century Business Park is expanding with the development of more than 845 acres on the north and east sides of the Johnson County Executive Airport.

The Johnson County Airport Commission (JCAC) recently recommended approval of a master development agreement naming VanTrust Real Estate as the master developer, with the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) subsequently approving that recommendation on October 8, 2020.

The proposed conceptual master plan contemplates having up to 6.5M SF of new vertical construction with a variety of building sizes up to 1.5M SF, along with approximately 150 acres of rail laydown yards.

Most unique about the development plan is that many of the sites have the ability to be rail-served. These proposed new facilities and improvements represent a private investment at the New Century AirCenter Business Park of $278,415,690 over the span of approximately ten years.

“Creating new economic development opportunities at the New Century AirCenter have been a long time coming,” said BOCC Chairman Ed Eilert.

“This is going to bring jobs and added revenue to Johnson County, which will help the county’s airports continue to be as self-sufficient as possible and not rely on tax dollars,” Ellert said.

As a statutory requirement, a cost benefit analysis of the proposed project was performed by the county which illustrated a positive return on investment for all taxing jurisdictions ranging from 33.3% to 387.5%. Property taxes on the new construction are projected to generate approximately $135,000,000 over the next 33 years, as compared to an estimated of up to $178,000 over the same time period under current conditions, according to a release.

According to Aaron Otto, executive director of JCAC, the benefits of this development include railyard improvements, approximately 2,675 new/permanent jobs, more than $672,813,505 in estimated payroll and an estimated 1,875 construction jobs with payroll earnings of $96,750,000 over the next ten years.

In addition to its prime location within the Southwestern Johnson County submarket, the development is the only site in the metro area that offers available land allowing laydown yards, outdoor storage, access to a major railroad via short line railroad services and access to domestic air transport via New Century AirCenter.

“We knew when we first received the RFP for this project that it represented an opportunity to partner with the Johnson County Airport Commission and the county in the execution of a long term vision that would bring lasting benefits to the residents of Johnson County,” stated Rich Muller, executive vice president of VanTrust.

“We are excited to have been selected to lead this effort and look forward to kicking off what will be a significant expansion of the Southwest Johnson County industrial submarket.”

Olsson and GBA have also been selected to assist in the development plans. Olsson will be working on the rail, infrastructure and other improvements in addition to investigative studies and helping to manage the county submittal and review process. GBA’s architectural team has been hired to provide the preliminary architectural renderings and elevations.

Creativity is key for Keiten Nuspl's client success

Keiten J. Nuspl joined Block Real Estate Services (BRES) in June 2015 after graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Missouri Kansas City.

As a licensed sales professional in both Kansas and Missouri, Nuspl has become an expert in marketing and sales of all types of investment and owner-occupant real estate, but focuses primarily on investment property sales including: multifamily/apartments, retail/shopping centers, industrial/warehousing and office/medical buildings. Many of Nuspl’s sales include Section 1031 tax deferred exchanges.

Keiten helps to create value for his clients through individual consultation and consideration of investment goals, tax planning, problem solving and a superior market understanding. He is also involved with the Kansas City Chapter of Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM).

In this week’s Broker Spotlight, MWM lasers in on how Nuspl’s vast CRE experience has assisted clients in accomplishing creative solutions to meet all types of investment goals.

MWM: What market trends are you currently experiencing with your clients?

KN: Currently what I’m seeing from clients has been positive because interest rates continue to be at an all time low. Buyers are still very active and looking to close on properties to lock in strong interest rates in case they start to climb in the upcoming years.

MWM: What have you done to adapt to the changes in CRE?

KN: I have adopted to changes in the market by studying current trends to see how asset classes have been affected. This way I can assist owners or buyers with their real estate needs.

MWM: Why did you decide to work in the built environment?

KN: I started in commercial real estate by interning at Block Real Estate Services, LLC when I attended at University of Missouri - Kansas City. After I graduated, I was brought on as a full-time agent shortly after. I have been working as an agent for a little over four years and have been recognized twice as one of Kansas City’s Heavy Hitters. I chose to work in CRE because you are always on your feet and work with some of the most successful people in the business and investment industry.

MWM: What challenges and opportunities are your main asset classes facing now?

KN: One challenge buyers in the multifamily (market) are facing is figuring out if right now is the right time to buy when there is so much uncertainty in the market for the next 6 months to a year. On the other hand, there is a huge opportunity for buyers right now because interest rates are very favorable allowing them to pay higher prices, lock in long-term debt with favorable terms and still meet seller expectations.

MWM: What are your thoughts on the current state of the market in Kansas City?

I’m very optimistic about Kansas City’s real estate market over the next few years even with pandemic that’s currently happening. Kansas City has always been a very stable market and over the last few years has seen a lot of national attraction because of it, so companies and investors have been directing their attention to our market.

MWM: What leads do you look for?

KN: I look for potential clients that need assistance with their assets now or in the future and help them with their disposition plan to ensure they achieve the highest and best return.

MWM: How can prospects contact you for more information?

KN: Prospects can Contact me by my work email knuspl@blockllc.com or my office line 816-932-5531

Kenco selects Liberty Logistics Park for new facility

Kenco Logistics Services, LLC has selected a 295,600-SF warehouse and distribution space for their new facility at Liberty Logistics Park in Liberty, Mo.

“We are excited that Kenco Logistics, one of the top ten logistics companies in the world, selected the Liberty Logistics Park and our community for their new facility,” said Lyndell Brenton, mayor of the City of Liberty.

“Their decision to locate here reinforces Liberty’s place as a growing logistics and distribution hub in the Midwest. While Liberty Logistics Park is still under construction, we believe our community values, location and "can do” attitude are the differentiators that attract new businesses, like Kenco Logistics, to Liberty, Brenton said.

In the past five years, the KC region has successfully attracted eCommerce and distribution companies pledging to create more than 10,200 jobs, invest $1.8 billion and occupy 16.7 million square feet, according to a release.

“The KC region’s central location and access to a skilled workforce are key drivers of a successful eCommerce strategy,” said Tim Cowden, president and CEO of the Kansas City Area Development Council.

“The KC SmartPort team and our partners in Liberty continue to elevate our region’s competitive advantages to position KC as a leading logistics hub,” Cowden said.

The Kansas City Area Development Council worked with a number of regional partners in attracting Kenco to the Kansas City region, including the State of Missouri, Missouri Partnership, City of Liberty, Missouri, Liberty Economic Development Corporation, CBRE - Joe Orscheln, Evergy, Spire Energy and KC SmartPort.

“It is fantastic to see and support the growth in the logistics and distribution industry in Liberty and the entire KC region,” said Subash Alias, CEO of Missouri Partnership.

“The status of Missouri as North America’s Logistics Center is already well known, and more and more companies, such as Kenco, are taking advantage of one of the best river, road, air and rail infrastructure systems in the nation. When it comes to logistics and distribution, Missouri is a global leader.”

Kenco Logistics Services, LLC

Kenco is the largest woman-owned third-party logistics (3PL) company in the United States. The company provides integrated logistics solutions including distribution and eCommerce fulfillment, comprehensive transportation management services, material handling equipment services, engineering and innovation consulting, and information technology. For more information, visit kencogroup.com.

Autodesk launches complete project lifecycle management platform

Yesterday, Autodesk announced a new set of products for Autodesk Construction Cloud that further connect data, workflows and teams throughout the entire building lifecycle, from design to operations.

Built on a unified platform and common data environment, the new products – Autodesk Build, Autodesk Quantify and Autodesk BIM Collaborate – empower general contractors, specialty trades, designers and owners to drive better business outcomes.

“Almost a year ago we introduced Autodesk Construction Cloud, sharing our vision for the most powerful and complete portfolio of construction management products. The new products we announced today represent a huge milestone for connected construction, with Autodesk Build providing an entirely new approach to project management,” said Jim Lynch, vice president and general manager of Autodesk Construction Solutions.

Construction teams will have a comprehensive construction management platform with all data in one central location to simplify collaboration, proactively anticipate project changes and provide data-driven guidance for organizational improvement.

“We’re continuing to deliver on our promise of helping builders across the world catalyze their digital transformation and make construction more predictable, safe and sustainable,” Lynch said.

The three new product offerings announced today include:

• Autodesk Build: Unites the best of PlanGrid and BIM 360 with additional new functionality to create a comprehensive field and project management solution. Autodesk Build also includes the PlanGrid Build mobile app with additional new capabilities for field workers.

• Autodesk Quantify: Empowers estimators to automate 2D and 3D quantification from a single comprehensive platform.

• Autodesk BIM Collaborate: Enables project teams to align and execute on design intent by managing the entire design collaboration and coordination workflow from a single solution to reduce rework, improve productivity and accelerate project delivery.

As part of the unified Autodesk Construction Cloud platform, every new product is reinforced by:​

• Autodesk Docs – underpins the common data environment for every unified product with centralized document management, providing users with seamless navigation and integrated workflows to create a single source of truth across the project lifecycle.​

• Insights – delivers analytics from the data collected and analyzed, as well as the ability to export that data; encompasses Construction IQ artificial intelligence to identify and mitigate risk.

• Administration – provides centralized user management and permissioning, templates and other tools for project setup, as well as a single authentication method for any unified product.

“The continuous and fluid flow of data is the backbone of our teams’ success, with our healthcare projects in particular requiring tremendous scrutiny in inspections and documentation,” said Amy Kozlowski, project manager at Herrero Builders.

“Autodesk Construction Cloud delivers a unified platform where data and information are centralized. We can immediately get new design details into the hands of preconstruction and construction teams, proactively make adjustments in the field and better understand the health of our project portfolio. With Autodesk Build, we will be able to connect critical field and project management workflows, powering seamless collaboration across locations and devices. Just as importantly, the new products are intuitive and simple to use. Autodesk inherently understands the construction industry and provides technology that fuels success across the entire building lifecycle.”

“Construction is about building, not learning how to navigate complicated software,” said Sameer Merchant, head of product development, Autodesk Construction Solutions.

“Technology should be easy-to-use and effortless to scale – if a construction company grows, its software should grow with it. In developing our new offerings, we incorporated the best-in-class features of existing Autodesk construction products into a common web and mobile framework and integrated them with a shared data platform. As a result, the most loved capabilities will be immediately available within Autodesk Build, Autodesk Quantify and Autodesk BIM Collaborate.”

Autodesk’s new construction management products will connect construction teams, data and workflows across the headquarters, office and job site. Products will be available in early 2021.