Preti Flaherty negotiated the acquisition of, and debt and equity financing
for, the SCI Sanmina building, originally constructed by Digital Equipment
Corporation and consisting of more than 300,000 square feet on over 200 acres
located on Civic Center Drive in Augusta. Firm client Central Maine Commerce
Center, L.P., an affiliate of Harper’s Development, bought the project for $4.5
million. “This will be the most significant commercial property in the region,”
Harper’s President Kevin Mattson said. Mattson has moved quickly to fill the
immense building and has already leased out nearly a third of the floor space.
The deal closed on December 23, 2003.
Preti Flaherty is especially pleased to have helped Harper’s acquire the
building because it has very quickly become great economic news for central
Maine. In December, Governor John Baldacci and Harper’s Development announced
that a telecommunications company will be operating a 300 employee call center
out of the building as soon as March. The center also hosts The State of Maine
Department of Public Safety and Gould Health Systems.
Harper’s, which has
looked to Preti Flaherty to negotiate several large deals over the past years,
is now busy renovating the existing structure and planning for the new buildings
that will grow up around it. In addition to the walking paths and baseball
diamond that came with the property, and the renovations needed to get each new
tenant in place and working, a cafeteria and a gym are being carved into the
massive building.
