An asphalt paving contractor has acquired a former data center in the New Berlin area of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and aims to turn it into its new headquarters building.
BizJournal reports Poblocki Paving Corp. acquired the data center previously used by a financial services company and aims to consolidate its employees from three locations to the New Berlin site.
The facility, located at 16363 W Ryerson Rd, was previously a FIS data center. LoopNet and Crexi listings note the two-story 88,700 sq ft (8,240 sqm) building was constructed in 1971 and last renovated in 1996. The listing also stated that the facility has 3MW of available power.
The property sold for $2.75 million, according to the deed for the sale, recorded in the Waukesha County Register of Deeds office. The seller is listed as Efunds Corp., a company related to FIS. Previous listings suggest the property was on sale at one point for $5 million.
President Greg Kastenholz told BJ the building creates room for the company to grow and offer a more attractive workplace as the employee-owned business looks toward future hires. Despite being listed as a ‘fully operational data center’, the building will provide space for Poblocki’s maintenance facility, office, accounting operations, and storage. The site includes more than 30 acres of undeveloped land.
“We’re going to have this as a facility for all of our employee-owners,” he said. “We’re doing this for future growth and to maintain and attract new employees. I think everyone is looking for something new and exciting.”
Stephen Provancher, managing director of the Milwaukee office of real estate firm Newmark, said he had listed the facility as being for sale to a new user for around two years. It was an unusual listing as a former data center, and came on the market just as the Covid-19 pandemic slowed the office market.
The building did, however, generate interest among companies seeking industrial spaces, Provancher said.
“There’s very little industrial product available, which shows by having this buyer purchase a special-use property,” he said.
Formed as eFunds Corporation in 1999 as a spin-off from Deluxe Corporation, New Berlin-based Efunds was acquired by FIS in 2007. Prior to being acquired, it operated data centers in New Berlin and Phoenix, Arizona.