Cushman & Wakefield selected by Burrell Aviation, LLC to market national portfolio of on-airfield build-to-suit development sites

Cushman & Wakefield and the firm’s Aviation Practice Group has been retained by Burrell Aviation, LLC to market a significant portfolio of airport properties suitable for near-term development for a variety of aviation related business. The portfolio represents among the most strategically located regional and international airports in the United States. A division of The Burrell Group, Burrell Aviation, LLC is a private sector capital investor working alongside its partner airports in an effort to accelerate delivery of next-generation aviation infrastructure.

Ranging from four to 120 acres, the Burrell Aviation airport sites have each undergone pre-development efforts to minimize any project timeline, allowing airport customers and operators to activate facilities much sooner than traditional airport projects. The sites are intended to satisfy the shifting dynamics within the U.S. air cargo and logistics chain as well as the demands in corporate aviation and other aviation sectors. The locations will allow buildable space ranging from 25,000 to over 250,000 square feet and are dedicated for a variety of non-passenger airport activity, including but not limited to air cargo, maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO), corporate hangar, aerospace and defense, integrated logistics, third-party logistics (3PL), cold storage, and emerging technologies.

The portfolio includes airport properties in 17 states across the country, including Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas. For full property list, click here.

Burrell Aviation recently formalized a national design-build Master Service Agreement with Lemartec, one of the most highly recognized design-build construction management firms. Lemartec serves as MasTec’s vertical construction arm with a unique focus in the Aviation & Transportation sector and other commercial market sectors. Together, the companies will develop these airport projects on a build-to-suit basis that will increase access for air cargo companies and allow non-hub airports to expand their economic potential and spur growth in their local communities. MasTec companies have been involved in some of the largest and most complex infrastructure projects across the country.

A specialized Cushman & Wakefield Aviation Practice Group comprising Kent Hindes, Dorota Skyzypek and Sean Kelly, which offers extensive experience and skill in aviation commercial real estate, is leading the marketing efforts for the portfolio. The properties are currently being offered for lease on a build-to-suit basis.

“Modern air cargo and logistical service locations positioned on airports have become increasingly crucial for the supply chain and speed to delivery. Through long-term ground leases, Burrell Aviation has strategically obtained control of these prime land sites the past few years and during the pandemic, as focus on the U.S. supply chain and consumer reliance on e-commerce have taken off,” said Kent Hindes, Managing Director.

“While federal dollars are expected to help U.S. airports improve their airfield and safety initiatives, and mitigate air traffic congestion, private sector capital and development expertise is being increasingly looked at as a desirable solution to advance needed infrastructure and attract air cargo, MRO and other non-passenger aviation business,” added Hindes.

Burrell Aviation has been working through a rigorous process to prepare each of the properties for development, including vetting the horizontal development requirements, assessing the entitlement process, legal review and approvals from environmental studies, and review of other required approvals. Lemartec has also assisted with the pre-planning and pre-engineering work to develop an expedited construction process for each site. The result is an ability to provide an airport solution in the shortest time period possible.

Hindes continued, “We estimate the pre-development efforts being undertaken by our clients will result in a reduction in the development cycle of as much as 18 to 24 months, accelerating the accommodation of airport customers. Additionally, many existing airport facilities are at the end of their useful life, do not meet current sustainability standards, and don’t allow for advanced systems and logistics technologies found outside the airport ecosystem.”

John Carver, Burrell Aviation CEO, said, “The U.S. airport system has a time sensitive need for outside investment and focused attention on all areas of its non-passenger infrastructure. Our airport partnerships are designed to provide a means for delivery of next-generation facilities and address a needed component of the U.S. supply chain as a whole.”

Adds Carver, “We are pleased to have selected the Cushman & Wakefield Aviation Practice Group and look forward to their efforts in helping raise the awareness of the numerous airport properties in our portfolio and the opportunities they represent for accommodating aviation business of all types”.

Dorota Skrzypek, Associate, said, “These Burrell Aviation properties are the only near-term developable land sites available at these airport locations which makes them highly valuable. Each site has direct runway access, exclusive aircraft parking aprons, and long-term leasing rights. With a shortage of options, aviation related companies have a great opportunity to take advantage of these strategically placed properties to accommodate their future business and improve efficiency of operations in the process.”