A global technology company has signed a lease to occupy a major portion of the Granary Building on Bellingham’s waterfront, potentially bringing in 120 jobs.
The new company is Körber, which provides supply chain solutions for businesses around the world. According to its website, the company has around 10,000 employees in more than 100 locations.
Harcourt Developments made the official announcement at the Port Commission meeting on Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 8.
The lease is for 10 years and will occupy about 13,800 square feet of office space in part of the first floor and all of the second floor of the building. Harcourt plans on putting in some extra tenant improvements into the office space and should be ready for occupancy by the third quarter of 2021, according to information provided by Harcourt, an Irish development company that restored the Granary Building and is working on several redevelopment projects in Bellingham’s waterfront district.
Bill Ryan, CEO North America, Körber Supply Chain Software, said the company leasing the space in the Granary Building allows them to continue its year-over-year growth and tap into the talent pool in Bellingham and the Pacific Northwest.
A global technology firm has agreed to lease space in the Granary Building on Bellingham’s waterfront. That could lead to 120 new jobs in the waterfront district.
“The new location will provide the capacity we need to help maintain our continued growth and meet the unique needs and expectations of today’s workforce,” Ryan said in an email provided by Harcourt.
Des Dennehy, chief operating officer at Harcourt Developments U.S., said the restoration of the historic building, along with its close link to downtown and the fabulous views of Bellingham Bay were attractive features to a company like Körber.
“Such characteristics strongly support the evolving needs of today’s business, as well as residential occupiers and will be the foundation to the ongoing success of the development,” Dennehy said.
Dennehy said in an email that they had working on the deal with Körber since January to come up with details that fit the company’s needs.
“They had clear views on their requirements for the space, and a great vision for how it must look,” Dennehy said.
While slowed down by the COVID-19 pandemic, work is being done to redevelop the Waterfront District, which was formerly home of the Georgia-Pacific tissue mill. Construction is under way for the three-building, 94-unit condominium project developed by Harcourt that is expected to be completed in early 2022. Other projects in the works include a potential food campus, affordable housing and the expansion of Waypoint Park.
With this new tenant, the upper floors are now completely occupied and about 50% of the ground floor has tenants, Dennehy said. He estimates around five small spaces are available for tenants on the ground floor.
He added that Interest in the available retail areas of the ground floor has slowly started to pick up as COVID-19 vaccine development is providing hope that things will start to return to normal.