Other services and amenities at Alliance include Foreign Trade Zone status; a centralized examination station, which is a high-security, bonded location for US Customs officers to inspect selected import and export shipments; and the Alliance Opportunity Center, an employment training and job application service run by two state agencies and Tarrant County Community College. "We've had 100,000 applicants come through the Opportunity Center since it opened," says Burton. "It's a great resource for employers. Job applicants are pre-screened, relieving tenants of sorting through resumes and conducting initial interviews. It saves a lot of time and money."

Despite the recent successes, the Hillwood vice president acknowledges Alliance's occupancy level has fallen from close to 99% a year and a half ago to about 90% today. He blames the drop on last year's completion of some 1.8 million square feet of new space and the buy-back of a vacant build-to-suit Nokia manufacturing facility. The space Q-Edge leased is in the former Nokia building. Burton calls the company's aggressive expansion program a prime example of unfortunate timing.

"When we started those projects, we were doing 14 to 16 million square feet of leasing a year," he reports. "Preleasing for new spec product was average 45% to 50%. There was still absorption last year, but closer to a couple million square feet. Spec buildings were coming in with 18% to 20% preleasing." But with new development halted and the pipeline of completed projects rapidly drying up, he expects occupancy will start to climb again. "We're cautiously optimistic we're going to burn through some of this vacancy. There are three or four very large deals in the market right now, and we hope to get at least one of them," he says.

Burton points to additional features of Alliance that he says helps the development weather the current economic storm: diversification and flexibility. "We haven't focused on just one type of customer or industry," he says. "We have manufacturing, light manufacturing, distribution and office space. Our tenants deal in consumer products, pharmaceuticals, electronics, automobiles and logistics. And once they're here, we offer them room to expand – or contract. That's one area we really focus on. We're going to be here and work with them when things are going well and when they're not. It's not just services but an attitude of service that makes us different."