Lee + White Attracts New Businesses and Service Providers

Staff Report

Thursday, March 30th, 2023

Strengthening the lineup of businesses and service providers at the adaptive reuse mixed-use Lee + White development in Atlanta’s West End, Ackerman & Co. and MDH Partners have completed another 8,000 square feet of leases with the Reinvestment Fund, Utility Energy Services and A Chiropractic Hub.

“It’s exciting to see the continued diversification of the lineup at Lee + White,” said Evan Ziegler, Senior Vice President at Ackerman & Co. “This has been our goal in redeveloping Lee + White – to build on the popularity of this mixed-use destination as we add businesses and non-profit organizations that provide direct benefits to the community.”

The new additions to the Lee + White tenant lineup include:

Utility Energy Services (UES), based in Michigan, will open a new metro Atlanta office, occupying 2,350 square feet in Building 1038. The company provides utility and commercial clients with a variety of services in support of ESG initiatives, energy efficiency, electrification programs, customer engagement, demand response and more. The lease at Lee + White will accommodate UES’s new contract with Georgia Power in support of the energy company’s efficiency and load control programs, which include helping Georgia Power customers take advantage of energy efficiency improvement rebates. UES has hired 23 office and field staff in Atlanta, and plans to have a staff of 35 employees working out of the office and in the field by June.

The Reinvestment Fund, a non-profit community revitalization organization, will occupy 3,546 square feet in the 929 creative offices building. Relocating its Atlanta offices to Lee + White, the Reinvestment Fund is a mission-driven financial institution committed to making communities work for all people. The non-profit offers financial and analytical tools to partnerships that work to ensure that everyone has access to essential opportunities: affordable places to live, access to nutritious food and health care, schools where their children can flourish, and strong, local businesses that support jobs.

A Chiropractic Hub, which provides co-working space for chiropractors, signed a 2,192-square-foot lease at Building 929. Offering co-working space curated for chiropractors, it is designed to be an affordable option for chiropractors to grow their practice.

“We’re thrilled with the Lee + White development and ownership’s investment in the West End community,” said Doug Anderson, Vice President of Operations and Delivery for UES. “I think we have a great deal of alignment with many of the companies at Lee + White from a cultural and a business perspective. We share a common vision of contributing to communities such as the West End and seeing their resurgence and growth, and trying to make as much of a positive impact as possible.”

Porter Henritze and Melanie Garlock of Cushman & Wakefield completed the leases for Utility Energy Services and The Reinvestment Fund on behalf of Lee + White ownership. Kelly Wilson of Ackerman Retail represented ownership in completing the lease with A Chiropractic Hub.

“Our ESG policy lies within the DNA of MDH Partners, and Utility Energy Services and The Reinvestment Fund’s goals align perfectly with our mission to leave the world a better place than we inherited,” said Jeff Small, CEO of MDH Partners. “Along with A Chiropractic Hub offering affordable co-working space for chiropractors, Lee + White is shaping up to be not only a gathering place for the community, but also an innovation hub for local businesses to grow and attract top talent.”

Added Garlock, “Lee + White’s connection to the West End community is a big plus for UES and the Reinvestment Fund. They love all the amenities that MDH Partners and Ackerman are bringing to the project, and the convenient access to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is another major advantage.”

A redevelopment of the former Warehouse Row in the West End, Lee + White has become a popular destination for breweries, restaurants and retailers. MDH Partners and Ackerman & Co., which acquired Lee + White in September 2019, are continuing the transformation of the 442,562-square-foot property by adding a 19-vendor food hall, more than 200,000 square feet of creative offices, new retail and the “Great Lawn” central gathering and event space.

At the food hall, recent leases include Costa Coffee, Cielito Lindo taqueria, Crème de la Crepe and Sweet Red Peach bakery.

Other recent lease signings with service providers include Team Rehab, which will occupy 3,416 square feet at Building 1000, offering a wide range of physical therapy treatments and specialties including occupational therapy and speech therapy. Westside Dental, a dentist practice by Dr. Nathanael Cole, occupies 2,356 square feet at Building 929.

Lee + White’s redeveloped spaces are also becoming a destination for high-tech innovators. Nanotechnology company Carbice moved into a 23,367-square-foot headquarters with state-of-the-art production space in Building 1050 last year, and renewable energy producer JTEC will create a 18,755-square-foot lab and collaborative office space in the same building.

Providing BeltLine access via four direct entrances, Lee + White is located just 0.4 miles from the West End MARTA station and is convenient to all of metro Atlanta’s major interstates, I-20, I-75, I-85 and I-285.