Notable: Tenant Improvements Provide Seamless Workflow at River Road Logistics

Three tenants, each operating unique but related businesses, approached us independently about securing space in the first of our two River Road Logistics industrial buildings located in Council Bluffs, IA.

D6 collects, cleans and repurposes recycled plastic and uses it to manufacture single-use food grade packaging. The company is leasing 61,758 square feet to warehouse, pack and distribute its sustainable packaging to customers, including J. Skinner Baking. J. Skinner is a leading commercial ready-to-eat baked goods manufacturer. They’re leasing 74,626 square feet to warehouse ingredients and other items to support their existing baking facility in Omaha, NE. Packaging Corporation of America (PCA) is leasing the remaining 165,916 square feet of the facility to store paper rolls used to make its shipping containers.

While all three tenants would use their respective space for warehousing and distribution and all three required their space meet certain food safety regulations, each also had distinctive specifications to meet their unique needs.

• To accommodate the weight of the paper rolls PCA was storing, we laid 10-inch-thick floors that were double reinforced. We also installed 80,000-pound dock levelers as opposed to the standard 40,000-pound levelers.

• To improve fresh air circulation and air quality and remove hot trapped air, we installed High Volume Low Speed (HVLS) fans in PCA’s loading dock bays.

• PCA wanted an office space that would serve the high volume of truck drivers coming to the facility, so we located the 2,000-square-foot space on the back side of the building near the fenced-in truck court. We included a transaction counter where drivers can check in and check out as well as a drivers’ lounge and restrooms. A small vestibule is located at the front of the building near the employee entrance where employees check in.

• D6 intentionally leased an adjoining space to J. Skinner to streamline operations. To further facilitate a seamless workflow, we created an opening above the demising wall between the two spaces. This opening allows D6 to load packaging for J. Skinner onto a pallet and simply pass it through to J. Skinner, where it is stored before being transferred to their baking facility.

• D6’s facility required a chiller system to operate the manufacturing equipment they use to make their plastic food containers. We provided the power and water lines for the chiller and coordinated final connections, including coordination of a hanger system to house all of the electrical, water and compressed air lines that connected to the manufacturing equipment.

• We designed a 3,201-square-foot office space for D6 that included seven offices, a conference room, an employee break room, a copy room, an IT room and a restroom. For J. Skinner, we designed a 2,496-square-foot office space with one private and one open office, a shared IT / copy room and restrooms.

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