Horsham, PA, Oct. 26, 2022 – MRA Group, a privately-held real estate development and client services firm, entered into a sixteen-year lease with Solenis LLC for a 102,000 square-foot research and development facility at the Chestnut Run Innovation and Science Park (CRISP) campus, in Wilmington, Delaware.
Solenis, a Delaware based leading global producer of specialty chemicals for water-intensive industries, engaged CBRE to identify the optimal location to consolidate and expand its US R&D facilities into a single location within its home state, leading to the CRISP campus.
“This investment at CRISP reflects our long-term commitment to delivering innovative and sustainable solutions for water-intensive industries. Our research & development teams are critical in achieving these goals,” declared Philip M. Patterson, Solenis Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. “This move will allow us to build contemporary lab spaces, recruit and retain world-class talent and enhance our presence in Delaware. Solenis has deep roots in the state, reaching back over 100 years. Our new lease at CRISP, coupled with the recently opened world headquarters at Avenue North in Wilmington, ensures we will have a path for future growth and development here.”
Chestnut Run Innovation & Science Park, acquired by MRA Group from Dupont in November, 2021, is a 164-acre campus containing approximately 800,000 square feet of existing lab, research and advanced manufacturing space, and is currently in phase one of a $500 million redevelopment plan. “Our vision for CRISP is to set a new standard for innovative campus redevelopment in the region, and develop it into Delaware’s leading scientific and biotechnology hub,” stated MRA Group’s Founder and CEO Lawrence Stuardi. This hub for scientific investment is proving to be a magnet for cutting-edge science companies, as Solenis is the latest company to join Prelude Therapeutics and DuPont, bringing the campus to nearly 400,000 square feet leased, contributing to the innovative ecosystem MRA envisioned.
“Our vision for the campus, its convenient location, educated workforce, and proposed amenities are compelling reasons for innovative and scientific companies to consider CRISP. In addition, the State of Delaware offers some very appealing economic incentives, which can be a defining factor for prospective tenants to locate to the campus,” explained Mike Wojewodka, Executive Vice President of MRA Group.
MRA Group plans to offer campus amenities such as a hotel, a fitness center, conference space, an outdoor amphitheater, and accommodations for food services on the sprawling campus. CRISP is conveniently located in northern Delaware, and less than an hour drive to Center City Philadelphia, and is the mid-way point between New York and Washington DC.
“What MRA Group has done at the CRISP campus is transformative for our County,” said County Executive Matt Meyer. “The redeveloped campus gives our existing Delaware companies that are expanding a home to grow and thrive. New Castle County is proud to continue to be the home of Solenis, which provides great jobs in our community producing innovative and sustainable solutions for everyday life.”
About MRA Group
MRA Group (MRA), based in Horsham, PA, is a privately-held, vertically integrated real estate development and client services firm servicing the healthcare, higher education and life sciences sectors. Founded in 1991 by president and CEO Lawrence J. Stuardi, MRA prides itself on maintaining the same high level of integrity and excellence that led to its recognition as one of the most respected real estate firms in the mid-Atlantic region. With over 30 years of value-add and ground-up development experience, along with providing a full suite of real estate solutions, to our clients, MRA has developed and continues to manage more than 4.5M square feet of medical, life sciences and office real estate, and has structured over $2B of financial transactions. A few recent and notable development projects include Chestnut Run Innovation and Science Park, Spring House Innovation Park, the Holy Redeemer Medical Building at 201 Veterans Way, the Lab at the University of Pennsylvania’s Pennovation Works Campus, and TEK Park among others. Learn more at www.mragroup.net.
About Solenis
Solenis is a leading global producer of specialty chemicals focused on delivering sustainable solutions for water-intensive industries, including the pulp, packaging paper and board, tissue and towel, oil and gas, petroleum refining, chemical processing, mining, biorefining, power, municipal, and pool and spa markets. Owned by Platinum Equity, the company’s product portfolio includes a broad array of water treatment chemistries, process aids and functional additives, as well as state-of-the-art monitoring and control systems. These technologies are used by customers to improve operational efficiencies, enhance product quality, protect plant assets, minimize environmental impact and maintain healthy water. Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, the company has 48 manufacturing facilities strategically located around the globe and employs a team of over 6,400 professionals in 120 countries across five continents. Solenis is a 2022 US Best Managed Company. For additional information about Solenis, please visit www.solenis.com or follow us on social media.
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