Friday, January 2, 2009

Real Deal

What companies are moving, staying or relocating?

By Mass High Tech staff

Cummings’ Woburn site welcomes Wakonda Tech

Wakonda Technologies Inc. has relocated to more than 7,000 square feet of space at 2 Gill St. in Woburn. The company signed a lease just three months ago for 2,600 square feet in Medford. Wakonda was originally founded in New York. According to company reports, Wakonda is developing a patent-pending material that enables the production of high-performance solar cells. The solar electric technology is said to be more efficient than crystalline silicon and more cost effective than thin-film alternatives. Wakonda joins the Gill Street life sciences cluster, which includes dozens of life sciences firms. Woburn-based Cummings Properties handled the lease.
 

Astaro Corp. is moving its U.S. headquarters from Burlington to more than 15,000 square feet of office space at 260 Fordham Road in Wilmington. Approximately 50 employees reportedly will be staffing Astaro’s new corporate office and the company has nearly 120 other personnel work in the dual headquarters in Germany and other locations around the world, company reports said. 
Astaro is a network security appliance maker. Principal Debra Stevens of Boston-based the Stevens Group represented Astaro in the deal and Cummings Properties, the landlord, was represented by its leasing director Derek Cook.

Merrimack Pharmaceuticals Inc. has expanded by 18,748 square feet of additional laboratory and office space in Building 600/700 at One Kendall Square in Cambridge. The company will now occupy 50,495 total square feet in the complex, where Merrimack will renovate former Genzyme Corp. laboratory space on the fourth floor, and is expected to move in April 2009.

Merrimack Pharmaceuticals is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of novel treatments for autoimmune disease and cancer. Built in 1916, Building 600/700 is a 234,631-square-foot, five-story, Class A research facility that has wet laboratory space and office space.

Boston-based Colliers Meredith and Grew’s executive vice president Joe Flaherty and vice president Tucker Hansen represented Merrimack in the transaction. Partner J. Duncan Gratton and senior vice president Kim Roop of Boston-based DTZ FHO Partners represented the landlord, Boston-based The Beal Cos. LLP.

BIND Biosciences Inc. has subleased 26,148 square feet of laboratory and office space from Alkermes Inc. at the University Park at MIT, located at 64 Sidney St. in Cambridge. 

BIND Biosciences is a privately held biopharmaceutical company that is developing a new class of targeted therapeutics based on multifunctional nanoparticles. Executive vice president Joe Flaherty, vice president Tucker Hansen and associate Ben Coffin of Boston-based Colliers Meredith and Grew represented Alkermes in the transaction. Partner Jon Varholak and assistant vice president Eric Smith of Boston-based Richards Barry Joyce and Partners LLC represented BIND Biosciences.

Silverlink Communications Inc. has renewed and expanded its current lease by 26,572 square feet at One Burlington Business Center in Burlington. Silverlink is a provider of strategic communications services for the health-care industry.

One Burlington Business Center is located at 67 South Bedford Road. The four-story building offers 176,465 square feet of Class A office space in addition to an on-site fitness facility and cafeteria. Executive vice president and partner Michael Ripp, first vice president Jason Levendusky, and vice president Kerry Olson of CB Richard Ellis New England represented Invesco Real Estate, the building’s landlord. Silverlink was represented by senior vice president James Boudrot and executive vice president and principal Steve James of Boston-based NAI Hunneman.

IntraLink has leased 20,000 square feet of office space at the Schrafft Center located on 529 Main St. in Charlestown. Headquartered in New York, the company is a provider of online workspace for secure document exchange for numerous businesses around the world. The Schrafft Center is a 650,000-square-foot building owned by The Flatley Co.

Principal Debra Stevens of the Stevens Group represented Intralink and vice president William Bush of the Flatley Co. represented the landlord.

Richards Barry Joyce & Partners LLC has negotiated four leases for technology companies on behalf of KBS Realty Advisors at Nagog Park in Acton.  

Brian McKenzie, James Lipscomb and Rob Byrne of RBJ represented KBS Realty in all of the lease transactions. RBJ is the exclusive leasing agent for KBS Realty’s properties in Nagog Park, which currently has approximately 90,000 square feet of office space available.

Altair Engineering Inc., a privately held provider of technology and services, signed a new lease for 2,538 square feet of office space at 125 Nagog Park. The company is relocating from Marlborough. Altair was represented in the transaction by Dennis Flynn of The Heritage Group Inc. 

Azuki Systems Inc. signed a lease expansion for 5,949 square feet on the first floor of 43 Nagog Park. The company now occupies a total of 13,146 square feet of office space in the building. Azuki Systems provides an interactive mobile media services platform, and was represented in the transaction by James Lipscomb of Richards Barry Joyce & Partners. 

Intel Corp. signed a lease for 3,300 square feet at 40 Nagog Park, in a relocation from 125 Nagog. The technology giant was represented by Chris Hermann of CB Richard Ellis. 

Global Graphics Software Ltd., which provides technology and solutions to the print and pre-press industry, renewed its lease for 2,269 square feet of office space on the third floor of 31 Nagog Park. Global Graphics was represented by Kenneth Shaffer of The Shaffer Co. 

Fertility Centers of New England has leased 1,700 square feet of medical office space at 875 Greenland Road in Portsmouth, N.H., from Portrush Inc. The center works with the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of infertility in a patient-oriented setting. Bob Marchewka and Margot McKean of Portsmouth-based The Kane Co. listed the space and procured the tenant.
 

Real deal is a monthly collection of real estate transactions involving technology and life sciences companies. Tenant names appear in bold. Please send real estate news and photos to Rodney Brown at rbrown@masshightech.com.