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To: MJ who wrote (489485)6/2/2012 9:27:39 AM
From: Bridge Player  Respond to of 793838
 
Premium content from Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal by Mary Ann Azevedo, Reporter Date: Friday, April 20, 2012, 3:00am PDT


Courtesy of Kevin Legnon
On the foreign market: Jones Lang LaSalle has expanded its sales strategy for Solyndra’s former Fremont headquarters all the way to China. ‘Key assets that have such global visibility are attractive to anyone who does high-tech manufacturing,’ says managing director Bart Lammersen.


Mary Ann AzevedoReporter- Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal

Jones Lang LaSalle is employing an unusual strategy as it markets Solyndra LLC’s former headquarters and primary production facility in Fremont.

In an effort to reach out to buyers outside the United States, the company has put together an overseas package to market the failed solar company’s real estate. The package includes an abbreviated offering that is being distributed throughout China – completely in Mandarin.

Bart Lammersen, managing director of Jones Lang LaSalle’s Palo Alto office, said the brokers thought the move would expose the property to a broader range of potential buyers, and not just to solar manufacturers.

“Key assets that have such global visibility are attractive to anyone who does high-tech manufacturing,” he said. “And those users aren’t just isolated in North America and the U.S.

While the U.S. Department of Energy was concerned about the sale of solar technology patents to China, the sale of Solyndra’s real estate is fair game.

JLL’s two-page marketing material summarizes the high-level features of the 411,618-square-foot facility, which includes 280,000 square feet of manufacturing space and sits on a 30-acre parcel at 47488 Kato Road in Fremont. The JLL brokerage team marketing the property, which also includes Greg Matter and Jason Ovadia, did not include an asking price.

Erik Doyle, president at Cornish & Carey Commercial Newmark Knight Frank , said the practice of printing marketing materials to distribute on a mass basis in foreign countries is not standard practice in the Silicon Valley commercial real estate world.

“It’s not common or typical that I know of, but I think it’s a really interesting idea and pretty creative,” Doyle said.

Jeff Fredericks, managing partner of Colliers International’s Silicon Valley operations, said Colliers has done similar marketing in the past but “very infrequently.”

As of April 18, Lammersen said there were no active offers on the former Solyndra property, which has been on the market since the end of February.

“But we do have some well-qualified prospects we’re talking to right now,” he said. “There is strong interest.”

Shift in manufacturing MJ Shiao, a senior analyst of solar markets for Greentech Media , said a recent trade dispute between American and Chinese manufacturers could result in tariffs that might influence decisions made by Asian manufacturers. One of those decisions could be a shift in where products are made.

“If the potential tariffs are high enough, it could be attractive to some of these Asian manufacturers to set up a (solar) facility in the U.S.,” Shiao said.

In 2010, the U.S. Department of Energy estimated that the Chinese government provided its manufacturers with more than $30 billion in subsidies. The U.S. Department of Commerce is considering imposing a duty on U.S. imports from Chinese solar manufacturers, after allegations arose that the manufacturers have been dumping illegally subsidized solar panels into U.S. markets.

Solyndra shut down last August and filed for bankruptcy protection in September after getting $528 million in federal loans and guarantees.

It has been the target of federal and congressional investigations since.

The facility that JLL is marketing for sale has itself been the center of controversy, considering it cost an estimated $300 million to build out with taxpayer dollars. It was finished in October 2010, less than one year before the company filed for bankruptcy protection and laid off 1,100 workers. It is only expected to fetch about half of what Solyndra spent to create it, or $150 million.



To: MJ who wrote (489485)6/2/2012 11:49:49 AM
From: Honey_Bee  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 793838
 
MJ,

Thanks for sharing that information. It looks like America is not only for sale, but it is being given away.



To: MJ who wrote (489485)6/3/2012 10:34:28 AM
From: sm1th6 Recommendations  Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 793838
 
One article I read indicated that there may be a buyer for the building-----but not an American buyer.


Why are you so obsessed with the sale of a piece of real estate? If they pay a fair price I don't care who buys it, it is better than having it rot unoccupied.