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July 25, 2024
Sherman also underscored the importance of Radnor’s proximity to Philadelphia International Airport. “We’re on a mission to accelerate medicines to patients. The location provides space for our staff to meet up, conduct trainings, and host events – especially being as close as it is to the Philadelphia International Airport, which makes it convenient for our staff and clients to visit. With this accessible space we are eager to continue to work towards our mission and bring together like-minded individuals with the same goal of improving patient care.”
Following up our discussions with leaders at top companies who have (re)committed to office in Philadelphia, we’re heading west to chat with executives who recently selected our Radnor portfolio as the home base for their company. From access to talent to the value of a stable long-term workplace partner, read on to learn why companies are choosing to plant their flag in Radnor with Brandywine.
Local Meets Global Access
One of the most sought-after suburbs in the heart of Philadelphia’s Main Line, Radnor benefits from a deep and diverse talent pool, largely due to its proximity to several major universities and colleges. For Aramsco, a distribution company with 80 locations across the U.S. and Canada seeking to relocate its headquarters from Paulsboro, New Jersey, Radnor offered “the most central location for a large pool of talented employees,” said CEO Rich Salerno. “It was important to us to choose somewhere highly accessible with ample amenities in the building, as well as the community, to drive the right culture we want for the business.”
For Fiduciary Trust Company, which recently renewed its 25,000-square-foot lease at Five Radnor Corporate Center, “maintaining our presence in Radnor was essential to allow for consistency with our clients and employees who live in the community,” said Regional Managing Director Juliana Strong Karnavas. “We’ve seen great success in bringing our employees back to the office; our team finds it invaluable to have frequent in-person touch points with clients, even more so post-pandemic.”
Certara, the global leader in accelerating medicines with biosimulation, also relocated its headquarters to Radnor, taking 15,000 square feet at Four Radnor Corporate Center where the company already has plans to expand. Of the move to the Main Line, Chief Human Resources Officer Rona Anhalt said, “As a central location for the greater life sciences community, Radnor is the perfect place for our employees now. We’re thrilled to offer the 120 employees in the area, including our CEO, a state-of-the-art facility in brand new space.”
Anhalt also underscored the importance of Radnor’s proximity to Philadelphia International Airport. “We’re on a mission to accelerate medicines to patients. The location provides space for our staff to meet up, conduct trainings, and host events – especially being as close as it is to the Philadelphia International Airport, which makes it convenient for our staff and clients to visit. With this accessible space we are eager to continue to work towards our mission and bring together like-minded individuals with the same goal of improving patient care.”
Certara's new office at Four Radnor Corporate Center.
Spaces That Inspire
Post-pandemic, it’s no secret that tenants and employees value a variety of environments within the workplace, from collaborative zones that promote teamwork to secluded areas for focused tasks. Within its new space, Certara “took measures to decrease noise in the office space so that our employees have quiet and privacy to do their work. At the same time, it was also important to us to have gathering spaces both in the office and outside it to support collaboration.”
Strong Karnavas noted that for Fiduciary Trust, “meeting with clients is a vital part of our business and this office acts as a hub for collaboration and connection.” Cue the renovation of the firm’s client meeting area, which now provides “versatile spaces that are conducive to hosting various events and gatherings, catering to the changing needs of our workforce.” Outside the office, “One of the more unique features we have to promote employee engagement is a putting green where we’ll host our second annual employee putting contest. This feature creates opportunities for camaraderie and friendly competition among our team members.”
Five Radnor Corporate Center, home to Fiduciary Trust and Aramsco.
Aramsco’s Salerno pointed to the value of access to conference and meeting spaces across Brandywine’s portfolio, saying, “Between the number of meeting spaces within our own office space, those in the Radnor portfolio, and the BEX space in Center City, we are excited to provide our employees with modern workspaces and opportunities to come together and collaborate.” BEX, short for Brandywine Experience, offers Brandywine tenants access to touchdown meeting spaces throughout our portfolio in Radnor, Philadelphia, and Tysons, Virginia.
Positioning for Long-Term Success
For companies seeking to expand, room for growth is a significant consideration. This was especially true for Aramsco, which has grown more than 300% since its founding in 1966 and has a continued growth trajectory of between five and seven acquisitions a year. “We sought the best place to set us up for long-term success,” Salerno said. “Brandywine’s large portfolio of high-quality real estate and flexibility to work with tenants as they grow were critical to our decision to locate at Five Radnor. Brandywine quickly understood our office needs and the potential for those needs to change over time as our business grows. They made it easy to finalize our current workspace and we feel confident about them as our workplace partner for the future."
Beyond location and quality of space, tenants are seeking stable landlords who can act as their long-term workplace partner. According to data from CoStar, Brandywine is the dominant owner of high-quality workspace in the Radnor submarket with 1.7M square feet that is more than 90% leased. Choosing Brandywine means investing in a relationship with a reliable landlord and strong workplace partner. According to Anhalt, “Brandywine has lived up to their reputation as one of the best commercial landlords in the area. They were a great collaborative partner as we customized our space to meet our needs.”
For more tenant stories, head to brandywinerealty.com/beyond-boundaries.
Interested in becoming part of our tenant community? Learn about the Brandywine difference at www.trustbrandywinephilly.com
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