Conexon sets sights on Crown Center with new downtown headquarters lease

Conexon, a leading rural fiber broadband design and deployment firm, has signed a lease for a new headquarters at 2300 Main St., an 11-story Class A office building near Crown Center and Union Station in Kansas City. The move underscores the area’s growing appeal as a destination for corporate tenants.

The 2300 Main building, which spans approximately 520,000 SF, recently underwent more than $7 million in upgrades, including modernized building systems, lobby improvements, landscaping, and elevator enhancements. These improvements helped raise occupancy from 76 percent to roughly 90 percent.

Conexon, founded by co-CEO Randy Klindt, will consolidate its operations in the new space, which will house network design, construction management, operations, sales, and marketing, as well as a state-of-the-art network operations center and technical support call center. Klindt said the location allows the company to stay close to partners and clients while benefiting from Kansas City’s central location in the Midwest tech and rural broadband markets.

The lease highlights Crown Center’s evolution as a walkable, amenity-rich district combining office space, hotels, restaurants, retail, cultural venues, and open green spaces. Plans for a nearby streetcar expansion, expected to begin operations in 2025, will further improve connectivity for employees and tenants.

Conexon’s headquarters is seen as a boost for downtown Kansas City, reinforcing the city’s emerging status as a hub for tech and infrastructure companies while attracting and retaining talent.

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Header image: 2300 Main Street Building near Crown Center and Union Station will be the new HQ for Conexon. Image | Van Trust Real Estate

New York firm buys Fountain View apartments on the Plaza

CBRE has arranged the sale of Fountain View on the Plaza, a 398-unit luxury apartment community located adjacent to Kansas City’s County Club Plaza.

A global investment advisor sold the property to an affiliate of Abacus Capital Group in an undisclosed transaction that closed in September 2020.

The deal represents a return to the Kansas City market for the New York-based buyer after exiting in 2016 with the sale of the 596-unit Northland Passage Apartments in the metro’s Northland submarket.

Jeff Stingley, an executive vice president in CBRE’s Kansas City office, along with senior associates Max Helgeson and Michael Spero, represented the seller in the transaction.

“Fountain View is the community of choice for Kansas City renters wanting to live at the doorstep of the metro’s top amenities and attractions, while at a discount to the submarket’s newer developments and single-family homes. The high-profile, in-fill site is among the best in the Midwest and will provide significant risk mitigation for future ownership while also enabling a perpetual modernization strategy that will drive rents and provide extraordinary yields,” Stingley said.

The stretch of Main Street directly in front of the property has been slated as a high-volume stop on the future KC Streetcar line. With the planned southern extension from Union Station to 51st Street, Fountain View will also be included as a “transit-oriented development.”

“Kansas City’s multifamily market continues to show its resiliency despite the pandemic and resulting economic slowdown. The metro’s diverse economic base and concentration of durable industries have positioned Kansas City as a safe-haven for capital and buyers are knocking down our door to find opportunities,” Stingley said.

With this sale included, CBRE’s Kansas City multifamily group has completed $250 million in metro apartment sales so far in 2020, according to Stingley.

Straub Construction celebrates 100 years building KC communities

Straub Construction is celebrating 100 years as a Kansas City community cornerstone this week while simultaneously unveiling a new company brand in honor of its centennial anniversary.

The rebranded identity and tagline - Believe in What You Build - is an appropriate reflection of Straub’s devoted partnerships and decades over decades of building a long-standing, successful construction firm.

“Our new brand reflects our focus on building communities. As a building leader who advocates for a healthier, more fulfilled community, we focus on creating partnerships with purpose-driven clients who share our vision to serve others,” said Ernie Straub III, chairman & CEO.

Ernest J. Straub, Sr. began the journey in 1920 building churches, schools and homes in the Mission Hills, Kan. area. One hundred years later, Straub Construction continues to carry on his legacy of building Kansas City communities through structures that serve others.

Impactful community projects, such as the revitalization of the Crossroads Art District neighborhood’s Corrigan Station and The Creamery Building; new Science City exhibits in Union Station; the Edgar Berkley residence, the residence of Henry Sophian and the remodel of the Stover Mansion, a beloved Mission Hills landmark, are just a few included in the firm's impressive portfolio.

“We measure our success by the lives we impact, not revenue. By 2028, we’ll impact at least 120,000 families weekly with the structures we’ve built, and we’re hoping to grow that number," said Dan VanDonge, vice president of operations for Straub.

Straub’s legacy continues to date; with current and recently completed construction projects such as the Avila Goppert Performing Arts Center, Park University Plaster Center, Ft. Leavenworth Transient Barracks and the St. Elizabeth Catholic School & Parish.

“We advocate for our clients at every step in the construction process; not because it earns more dollars, but because it drives this larger purpose forward,” said Parker Young, Straub president.

Headquartered in Shawnee, Kan., Straub Construction also has an office in the Crossroads Arts District in Kansas City, Mo.