California Cartage Expands Into 375,000 SF

JOLIET, IL-California Cartage Co. has signed a three-year lease for 375,000 square feet within the 360-acre Laraway Crossings Business Park. The Long Beach, CA-based transportation and logistics firm will expand into the entire Building One, at 251 Laraway Road, in the park, which is owned by Ryan Companies US Inc. The company will relocate to Laraway from the 214,000-square-foot building it previously occupied in Elwood.

“The lease is written for the entire building, but they originally didn’t need the entire thing so they’re going to phase into the space and their rent phases in,” Tim Hennelly, VP of development with Ryan, tells GlobeSt.com. Hennelly says tenants are drawn to Laraway for its proximity to Interstate 80. Currently is 100% occupied, the park offers the 475,000-square-foot 401 Laraway Road, fully occupied by confectionery and beverages company Cadbury, in addition to California Cartage’s new space.

Built in 2004, the building being leased by California Cartage was the first construction in Laraway and designed to be expandable to 750,000 square feet. It had previously been occupied by third-party logistics firm Arnold Logistics, which at one point handled distribution for Cadbury. The building has been vacant since Arnold moved out last year.