Duke Realty Corp. Friday will break ground on the two-story build-to-suit for Galderma, which bought a 3.7-acre tract last month from Hillwood. The office project will be connected to Galderma's 50,000-sf headquarters at 14501 N. Freeway and adjacent 70,000-sf distribution center by a covered walkway. Delivery is set for January 2009.

"They're a growing business and they're buying businesses," says Blair Oden, vice president in Dallas for Indianapolis-based Duke. He says Duke's team was invited to the bidding party after higher-than-anticipated prices started to roll in for the build-to-suit. "We entered the game late. We priced it exactly the way they wanted it," he tells GlobeSt.com, adding the final offer in the competitive showdown was "within pennies" of a "back-of-the-napkin" estimate that earned the invitation.

The new building is a mirror image of the headquarters' exterior, but its interior will be a value-office finish, according to Oden. The turnkey project, with 25,000-sf floor plates, will provide space for up to 100 additional employees. The building will house administrative offices, conference room and an in-house training facility, now located in 14,568 sf of Heritage Commons I at 13600 Heritage Pkwy., Hillwood's headquarters building.