Van Vlissingen Breaks Ground On ZF Industries Expansion

VERNON HILLS, IL – Van Vlissingen and Co. (Lincolnshire, IL), developers and managers of The Corporate Woods, Vernon Hills, broke ground on a 129,000 square-foot build-to-suit expansion for ZF Services North America – the strategic business unit of ZF Friedrichshafen AG.

When completed, the 289,000 square-foot facilities will house a state-of-the-art distribution and remanufacturing center for ZF Services aftermarket operations, consolidating activities from the current distribution center in Sheffield, Ohio and bringing approximately 40 jobs into the expanded Corporate Woods location.

“Having all of our competencies, from marketing and sales to kitting and distribution, under one roof will allow our organization to be extremely flexible in meeting our customers’ needs,” said Tim Corcoran, President and COO, ZF Services North America. “The expansion also reflects our commitment to the region amidst the current economic situation.”

Charles R. Lamphere, President, Van Vlissingen and Co., said, “As a developer and manager, it is particularly rewarding when expansion opportunities grow out of long-term relationships like ours with ZF Services. It is a confirmation that we are getting it right and providing quality business solutions and environments in which our tenants can, and do, thrive.”

Van Vlissingen and Co. is developing this build-to-suit expansion project. Dave Gillespie of Gillespie Design Group (Ringwood, IL) is the architect. Acting as general contractors in a joint venture are Build Corps (Arlington Heights, IL) and Ziccarelli Builders, Inc. (Libertyville, IL). Also, representing ZF in the transaction as development consultant was Illinois Property Solutions.

Van Vlissingen and Co., leaders in commercial real estate since 1879, develop and manage award-winning corporate parks in Southern Lake County, including The Corporate Woods in Vernon Hills, Lincolnshire Corporate Center and The Corporate Grove in Buffalo Grove. Van Vlissingen and Co. offers commercial real estate brokerage, management, development, and real estate consulting services for office space, land sites, research, and industrial space users and owners.

ZF is a leading worldwide supplier of driveline and chassis technology, with approximately 64,000 employees at 119 locations in 25 countries and total sales of $16.3 billion in 2008. ZF Trading GmbH, which provides the worldwide aftermarket industry with replacement parts, merged with the Sales and Service Organization of ZF Friedrichshafen AG in 2008 to become a new division. ZF Services combines the product brands Sachs, Lemforder, Boge, and ZF Parts with the services of the Sales and Service Organization and is present with around 2,500 people at 56 of its own sites in 34 countries.

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