“This is where the workforce is. This is where the market’s going.”
Graham Group chooses Altoona for their latest industrial warehouse development.
Since 2013, Graham Group has developed more than 3 million square-feet of industrial warehouse space in the Des Moines metro. For their latest project – a massive 75-acre development with two x 270,000 square-foot warehouses (540,000 square-feet total) – they chose Altoona.
“Altoona was the next logical place for us to grow our business,” says Doug Dan Adel, Senior Vice President of Graham Group. “We have quite a bit of space across Polk County already. As the area’s continued to grow, we believe that growth is moving to the north and to the east.
“This is where we’ve been able to grow our business and have the most success.”
Diversifying their portfolio
Graham Group has been in business since 1946, developing and managing medical plazas, offices and more—all across the nation. In 2013, in an effort to diversify their portfolio and tap into a growing market, they launched a new industrial warehousing development division.
It’s been a huge success. Since 2013, Graham’s industrial warehousing division has developed more than 3 million square-feet of warehouse space in the Des Moines metro.
A different breed of development company
For more than 70 years, Graham Group has sought to deliver the best possible customer experience. Unlike many of their competitors, Graham doesn’t charge a development fee or a management fee.
Another key differentiator: Graham provides fully equipped, turnkey warehouses. While some of their competitors provide empty shells, Graham delivers finished buildings that are ready to go, complete with lighting, dock doors, dock shelters and other essential Day One features. This saves their clients time, expense and headaches. When a business moves into a Graham warehouse, they have everything they need to get their operation going.
Of course, to deliver the best possible customer experience at their massive new facility, Graham Group had to find the right location.
The perfect fit
When Graham Group began looking for a location for their new industrial warehouse development, they found that Altoona was the perfect fit. Here’s why:
- Access to the interstate. Businesses that move into Graham’s latest Altoona development will have immediate access to I-80.
- Strong local workforce. The majority of the Des Moines metro’s industrial workforce is in the northern and eastern regions of Polk County. Altoona, in eastern Polk, has access to the right local workforce for the kind of businesses – likely in the manufacturing & logistics sectors – that will look to lease Graham’s new warehouses. It’s the same reason Amazon just built a massive new distribution center right down the street.
- Business-friendly local leaders. In Altoona, we understand how important local businesses are to our community. That’s why our local leaders work closely with companies like Graham Group to bring opportunity home. “The city has been very helpful in welcoming us to the neighborhood,” Doug says.
- Room to grow. Altoona has hundreds of acres of development-ready land. For Graham Group, that was a key selling point. While the development company has already invested in 540,000 square-feet of warehouse space, their 75-acre Altoona property offers enough room for up to 715,000 square-feet.
Paying it forward
As Graham Group has found success throughout the Des Moines metro and beyond, they’ve given millions of dollars to countless organizations in the area, primarily in medicine and healthcare. In addition, Doug says that you’ll find the names of Graham employees on the boards of organizations throughout the area.
“We’re very willing to give our time and treasure.”
Developers like Graham Group are investing in Altoona, now. That’s because Iowa’s Rising Star has key advantages—like access to the interstate, development-ready land, a strong local workforce, and more than 4 million visitors annually. Join the movement.