A Concord based industrial developer says all eyes are now on Rowan County because
Cabarrus is priced out of the industrial market.More of Laurent Beaudry’s “For Sale” signs will be
appearing on land in Rowan’s I-85 and U.S. 29 corridor.
He sees I-85 in Rowan as a
potential “super business corridor.”
“I’m out of business in
Cabarrus,” said Beaudry. “Land is $75,000 an acre.”
“Concord Mills didn’t
help. Land went from $40,000 an acre to $250,000 in 18 months,” said Beaudry.
While he and others looking for
industrial sites may now be focusing on Rowan, Beaudry has a warning. “If Rowan
exaggerates (land prices), Gaston County will benefit.”
A self-proclaimed southerner
— that’s southern Canada, Beaudry specializes in small to medium industry.
He has handled numerous
motorsports projects, including properties for Cale Yarborough, Lake Speed, Melling Racing
and several Busch teams.
He’s currently completing
Phase 4 of a 146-acre motorsports industrial park near Harrisburg. It’s already sold
out.
Beaudry has sold or developed
properties for trucking terminals and business parks. Among his current projects in Rowan
is the Landis Business Park and a 33-acre tract on Peeler Road.
A resident of the historic section
of Concord, he’s a partner in Charlotte-based Segrest International.
He admits to having a slightly
skewed view of the world. “I divide the world into four quadrants with Charlotte in
the middle.” In this world, there’s a perfect place for anyone wanting to build
an industry, from the smallest to the biggest.
Rowan has special appeal with
access to two interstates: I-77 and I-85.
Location and land prices are the
driving forces in Rowan moving to the top of the industrial list.
Soaring land prices in Cabarrus
have forced industrial prospects to look elsewhere.
“At the end of the world, I
always thought land would be $30,000 an acre. Now, nobody blinks an eye at $75,000 an
acre,” said Beaudry, quickly adding, “But nobody is buying it.”
Beaudry said bankers look at the
math and simply won’t go for industrial projects where a big chunk of the money is in
the land.
“If you buy four acres at
$75,000 per acre, you’ve got $300,000 in land. You want to put up a $500,000
building. You can’t go to the bank with those numbers if you’re
industrial.”
He recounted an incident during
the past two weeks when he had an industrial prospect looking at a small tract off I-85
near Kannapolis. The landowner quoted a price range of “between $100,000 and $200,000
per acre.”
That quickly turned the potential
buyer off.
Beaudry supports the move by Rowan
County to protect the I-85 corridor in Rowan.
He has some free advice for county
planners and other county officials. “Listen to the industrial brokers. Have them sit
down with planners, see what they can bring to the table.
“It’s ludicrous and
foolish to think I could run a city or a county, I’m not trained d to do it,”
said Beaudry, encouraging the county to get input from industrial brokers.
Beaudry’s own emphasis is on
smaller industries. He isn’t humble in citing his background as a director of
development for a large construction firm in Montreal.
He finds land for clients and
assists in development. “What I bring to the table is much more than just putting a
sign up,” said Beaudry, adding with a laugh, “Nobody can do it as good as I can
— my middle name is humility.”
At every opportunity, he makes a
case for small and medium size industries.
“There’s an
extraordinary demand for smaller industry. There are a lot more small fish in the ocean
than big fish.
“Economic developers and
counties are looking for the big buffalo. … They’re all hunting the big
buffalo,” said Beaudry, adding, “The small guys are the bread and butter.” |
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