"We don't have any plans now for spec development in the Interstate 80 corridor, but we're getting a lot of inquiries for build to suits," Hennelly says. "It's because people want to own, and there isn't a lot of product in the 80 corridor that someone can own that's under 800,000 square feet. We're flexible - we would sell the land to a user, build a building for them to own or lease it to them - but the more entrepreneurial companies are the ones looking at our sites to own."

Last summer, Ryan Companies closed on a deal with Ikea to purchase 72 acres in the business park for an undisclosed price. In 2001, the Swedish retailer will build a 1.4-million-sf Midwest distribution center on the site. The park, at Route 53 and Laraway Road, could offer as much as six million square feet when completed, to become one of the largest industrial parks in the Chicago metropolitan area, the company has said.

The property is located in the Interstate 80 corridor. "It's been hit pretty hard because of the sizes of the buildings that are up, since a lot of other developers put spec buildings in the million square foot range," Hennelly says. "The vacancy in the 80 corridor is more than 20% so it's tough and that obviously is driving rents down because there's a lot of supply. Demand has kind of dried up, but I'm happy where we're at in Laraway, with our buildings full and looking at build-to-suits, not spec.