of Potawatomi Business Development Corporation is expanding its real estate presence both literally and figuratively.
The business development arm of Forest County Potawatomi Community of Wisconsinannounced Friday that it has signed a new lease for 18,357 square feet of office space in 833 Eastern Michigan office building in downtown Milwaukee.
The new space will accommodate the growth of PBDC’s subsidiary companies, such as the construction management firm Greenfire Management ServicesWgema Leasing and a new electric vehicle (EV) business unit, it said in a press release on Friday, as well as expanding the corporation’s real estate development group.
“This office expansion prepares us for the expected growth among some of our subsidiary companies, while also representing an important milestone for our company and our owners, the Forest County Potawatomi Community, as it coincides with our 20th anniversary,” Randy Mueller, CEO executive. PBDC, said. “We are excited to establish a strong presence in Milwaukee’s central business district, as it further demonstrates our commitment and dedication to being an active and engaged part of the community.”
Mark Irgens, whose company developed and owns the 88 East Michigan building, located at 833 E. Michigan St., said that “having PBDC join the tenant roster at 833 East brings we are a high quality occupier who further improves it” 18-story Class A office building with an area of 358,962 square meters.
“We welcome the addition of this growing team to our community,” said Irgens, chief executive officer of Irgens.
PBDC will continue to maintain office space in the Bgemagen Building on the Wgema campus on Milwaukee’s west side, where it has been headquartered since 2011. The space at 833 East Michigan will house PBDC’s new real estate group, Sagewind Development, PBDC’s retail operations and the company’s EV business unit.
“We are seeing tremendous growth opportunity now and are well positioned to leverage each of our business units in ways that complement each other,” Mueller said.
PBDC launched Sagewind Development to focus on developments in southeastern Wisconsin and to pursue opportunities among other subsidiaries. The company is led by Andy Wiegman, a 20-year veteran of the commercial real estate industry.
PBDC Retail is led by David Lloveras, who prior to joining the company, spent more than 30 years in the convenience/retail industry. PBDC currently operates travel center locations in Crandon and Carter, Wisconsin, is finalizing a prototype for future stores, and is identifying sites for growth along high-traffic corridors around the state.
The EV business unit was launched last summer and Dan Montague is director of strategy for the company. The company is exclusively focused on researching and deploying offerings in the emerging electric vehicle technology space to create a series of commercially viable initiatives and products, the press release said.
“With big plans for our next decade, we see the opportunity to expand our office presence to include the Near West Side and downtown Milwaukee as a big step for our future,” said Mueller.
Founded as the economic development and revenue diversification business of the Forest County Potawatomi Community (FCPC), PBDC currently employs more than 1,000 people across the United States.
