Bradford Commercial Real Estate Services has been tapped to lease the 398,767-sf Merit Tower as it enters into its seventh year as property manager of the class A high rise in North Dallas' prestigious Park Central submarket.
Jared Laake, market director of the Dallas-based brokerage firm, has assumed leasing duties for the 19-story office tower at 12222 Merit Drive. Krystal Zahniser, a Bradford senior vice president with 35 years of industry experience, is responsible for the high rise's property management. Eduardo Gildenson serves as asset manager and local liaison for the out-of-state owner.
"I had established a good working relationship with Edy during client tours at Merit Tower. He felt I was the right guy for the job," says Laake, who joined Bradford three years ago after graduating from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin. He is active in The Real Estate Council's Young Guns and a committee member of the North Texas Commercial Realtors Young Professionals Forum.
Laake's largest assignment to date in his career has just come off a $10 million renovation."The ownership has invested in all the right places – new roof, chillers, elevators and tenant amenities," Laake says.
As part of the recently completed renovations, Merit Tower features conference center options, offering a training room to comfortably accommodate 50 or more people or an executive board room with a 12-person capacity. Both rooms are equipped with state-of-the-art smart boards. Other perks include a tenant lounge, fitness center, a "mom and pop" deli that attracts customers from neighboring buildings and a six-level parking garage with more than 1,000 spaces. Adding to its appeal for an office location is the direct access to Central Expressway (U.S. Hwy. 75) and the LBJ Freeway (Interstate 635).
The ownership group purchased the property in 2012. It was rebranded the following year to Merit Tower from Four Forest Plaza, an identity change that Laake plans to reinforce to veteran brokers. The building's signature element is a three-story atrium light display that can be digitally changed for commemorative events, holidays or seasons.
"The ownership is very hands-on and focused on investing in the building for the long term," Laake says of Merit Tower Investments Partners' only Dallas holding. "When business professionals are looking for space, it's important to have strong well capitalized ownership with a long-term hold in mind."
Bradford Commercial Real Estate Services/CORFAC International is a full-service real estate company based in Dallas with an annual transactions volume exceeding five million square feet. The company manages and leases more than 20 million square feet, valued at $300 million, in North Texas for its strategic partners.
