Colliers, Rothrock Look to Leverage Successful Fab Plant Dispositions

SEATTLE-A few days after landing one of the most significant commissions in the company’s history, Stephen Rothrock, an SVP in the Seattle office of Colliers International, is envisioning his next big deal. What he sees are more semiconductor manufacturing plants.

Rothrock was the lead broker on the $183.5-million sale of Fujitsu’s ready-to-use 200-acre semiconductor plant in Gresham Ore., which closed on Friday, just five months after marketing began. He also handled the $90-million disposition of the 93-acre former Matsushita plant in Puyallup, Wash. in 2000. In both cases, the buyer was Microchip Technology, which produces private-label chips for various companies and wanted to be able to meet demand quickly.

“There’s a significant change afoot within this market,” Rothrock tells GlobeSt.com, explaining that semiconductor manufacturing is more and more often being handled by these third party producers, the majority of which are currently in Asia. “So we will see more of these types of plants sold to Asian buyers entering the U.S.; our objective is to leverage our experience and get involved in some others.”