Metalade of Pennsylvania Inc. is the largest space taker, leasing 22,980 sf at 9516 Clay St. in Houston's northwest submarket. Doug Nicholson of the Houston office of Northbrook, IL-based Grubb & Ellis Co. represented Metalade. Steve Carter of the Houston office of Granite Properties handled the negotiations on behalf of building owner, Houston Industrial Partners.

UOP LLC is taking 5,340 sf at 5201 Langfield Rd. another northwest Houston property. Dallas-based Macfarlan Real Estate Services is the building owner. Mark Preston, also with Grubb & Ellis' Houston team, represented the tenant at the bargaining table. David Boyd of Boyd Page & Associates in Houston sealed the deal for Macfarlan. With US headquarters in Des Plaines, IL, UOP develops and commercializes technology for license to the oil refining, petrochemical and gas processing industries.

According to a report by Cushman & Wakefield of Texas Inc.'s Houston office, thenorthwest industrial market has driven net absorption in Houston for several years. Still, new product is bringing space blocks that could take several years to fill.