Eastman Office Center in Livingston — Courtesy: Eastman Cos.
By Joshua Burd
Eastman Cos. recorded more than 110,000 square feet in office and retail leases during the second half of 2016, driven in part by upgrades at its properties around the state.
The Livingston-based firm announced the activity on Thursday, noting that overall leasing volume for 2016 totaled 500,300 square feet. The largest deals include a 16,000-square-foot renewal by John Hancock Life Insurance at Eisenhower Corporate Campus and an 11,500-square-foot renewal with CooperSurgical at Regent Park, both in Livingston.
Jim Garibaldi, Mike Witco and Scott Garibaldi at The Garibaldi Group represented John Hancock, while Andrew Zezas of JLL represented CooperSurgical.
“We are extremely pleased with the positive leasing activity and momentum we experienced throughout 2016, executing a blend of both new leases and renewals throughout our portfolio of properties,” Michael Schofel, Eastman’s managing partner, said in a prepared statement. “Additionally, we continue to actively enhance and reposition our real estate assets in order to create a premier work/live business environment for current and prospective tenants.”
Also at Eisenhower Corporate Campus, the Disability Advocacy Group and TEKCONN inked new leases of 2,000 square feet and 1,300 square feet, respectively, Eastman said in a news release. The Garibaldi team also represented TEKCONN, while Jerry Shifrin of Cushman & Wakefield of New Jersey Inc. represented Disability Advocacy Group.
Eastman Director of Leasing Eric J. Maurer worked in partnership with outside brokers to execute the transactions. The firm’s other second-half leases included:
- At 23 Vreeland, Finlay Extracts & Ingredients renewed and expanded to 6,800 square feet, while Li Creative Technologies, an innovator in audio, speech and biometric solutions, renewed its 1,600-square-foot commitment. Charlie McMahon at McMahon Real Estate represented Finlay, while CBRE’s Peter Shikar represented Li Creative.
- PennWell Corp., a media and information company, renewed its 5,200-square-foot lease at the Vanguard Building at 21-00 Route 208 in Fair Lawn. Dave DeMatteis at Cushman & Wakefield negotiated the lease.
- Jewish Vocational Service leased 8,000 square feet at Eisenhower Plaza, with Avison Young serving as its broker.
- Renaissance Digital Solutions leased 2,000 square feet at Eastman Office Center. Jim Sousa of Weichert Commercial Brokerage represented Renaissance.
- Law firm Barbosa Donovan LLP renewed its 2,700-square-foot lease at 70 South Orange Ave., while Retailers & Manufacturers renewed its lease for 2,000 square feet.
- Goldfish Swim School leased 8,100 square feet at The Fresh Market Shoppes at the Livingston Circle in Livingston, while indoor cycling studio CycleBar inked a lease for 3,200 square feet. Both transactions were negotiated by Florian Suserman of Ripco Real Estate.
Eastman also touted expansions and upgrades throughout its office portfolio. The new Amenity Court at Eisenhower Plaza includes 354fit, a state-of-the-art fitness center, as well as Living Fitness, which offers one-on-one personal training and Pilates, according to a news release.
Renovations to the building’s conference center and café will be completed this summer, Eastman said. Construction of a new conference facility and full-service café was also completed at Eastman Office Center.
