The ReadyToGo!™ Program, a unique speculative development strategy created by Robert K. Mericle, has proved to be an economic boon for Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Through the program, Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services is making a major investment in new speculative buildings and fully prepared sites. Announced by Rob Mericle just three years ago, the program has already helped to create and retain thousands of jobs in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton area.
According to Mericle Vice President of Marketing Jim Cummings, Mericle is fully preparing more than 90 ReadyToGo!™ Sites and is building dozens of speculative commercial buildings on approximately 1,700 acres it owns in 11 business parks along Pennsylvania’s I-81 Corridor.
Over the past three years, 16 companies have moved into the buildings Mericle has constructed on speculation, or purchased one of the developer’s ReadyToGo!™ Sites. These firms are creating and retaining more than 3,400 jobs and include American Eagle Outfitters, Benco Dental, Corning, Greiner Packaging, Maximus, C3i, A.Duie Pyle, Geisinger, Neiman Marcus and Tech Packaging.
For its ReadyToGo!™ Sites, Mericle Construction, Inc. obtains all permits and full subdivision, land development, and utility approvals. In most cases, all grading, including the placement of compacted stone sub-base in the building and pavement areas is completed and the parcels are made completely ready for immediate construction.
Mericle’s ReadyToGo!™ Sites range from 1.15 acres to 127 acres and can accommodate companies needing buildings from less than 5,000 square feet to more than one million square feet. Mericle is finding the sites and its spec buildings to be attractive to manufacturers, distributors, medical professionals, and a variety of office and business services firms.
“Within just six to nine months of the signing of a lease, we can construct a new facility and have it ready for a tenant on any of our ReadyToGo!™ Sites,” said Cummings. “By comparison, it would typically take a competing developer 12 to 24 months to obtain all permits and approvals, prepare a site, and construct a new facility.”
“We don’t think there are very many, if any, communities throughout the entire country that will be able to match our incredibly short timetable to occupancy,” he said.
Mericle has already completed 37 ReadyToGo!™ Sites of various sizes in CenterPoint Commerce and Trade Park East, CenterPoint Commerce & Trade Park West, the East Mountain Corporate Center, the Jessup Small Business Center, Grimes Industrial Park and Humboldt Industrial Park. Mericle is constructing speculative industrial, office, and flex buildings on several of those parcels.
Mericle uses its own resources to prepare the pads and construct the buildings. The company’s in-house design team, engineers, construction employees, and heavy equipment operators all contribute to the effort. “We do all of the planning and construction ourselves,” said Cummings. “That helps moves things along very quickly and cost effectively.”
“As we make progress filling our spec buildings we will construct more,” Cummings said. “Putting the parcels in ready to go condition means that we can get new spec buildings up in record time.”
Cummings said Mericle plans to develop more than 15 million square feet of space on the more than 1,700 acres. At present, more than 13,400 people work in the more than 18 million square feet developed locally by Mericle since 1986. Cummings said he believes the ReadyToGo!™ Program will continue to maintain and accelerate the company’s speculative building program and will result in the creation and retention of approximately 12,000 more jobs.
Founded by Robert K. Mericle in 1985, Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services has developed more than 19 million square feet of industrial, office and flex space. More than 13,400 people work in the buildings developed by Mericle in Northeastern Pennsylvania.