Colorado Real Estate Journal - September 21, 2016

Supplier to brewers leases space in line with culture

A large supplier to the craft beer industry leased 13,000 square feet of office space in a historic building at the edge of downtown.

“In the craft beer industry, culture is so important. To be able to be in a historic building right downtown, for us, is just a perfect fit,” said Dan Vorlage, vice president of marketing and business development for MicroStar Logistics.

MicroStar will occupy space in the A.H. Root Building at 2501 15th St., in the Platte Street/ Lower Highland neighborhood. Scheduled to occur early next year, the move will give the company, which has tripled in size in the last 2½ years, about twice the space it occupies at its current offices in the Denver Tech Center. It also will allow it to draw from an employee base more in line with its culture, Vorlage said.

“As a company committed to keeping our customers at the center of every decision we make, we wanted our new home to be one of the true centers of the craft beer revolution, Denver, Colorado,” said Bryan Place, MicroStar’s chief financial officer.

With access off of Interstate 25 via Speer Boulevard, the building provides easy in and out for employees. It also is within walking distance of Union Station, and retail and dining amenities.

MicroStar Logistics provides and manages distribution of some 3 million kegs to more than 500 craft brewers around the country through a network that allows brewers to reduce both their costs and carbon footprints. Its Colorado customers include Oskar Blues, Avery Brewing Co., Left Hand Brewery and others. MicroStar also services and repairs kegs for MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch.

Chris Riedl and Matt Edgar of Community First Commercial Real Estate, a tenant and buyer rep firm that gives 10 percent of its commissions to its clients’ favorite charities, assisted MicroStar Logistics in the lease.

“We’re proud to represent such a well-known Denver-based company with national reach,” said Edgar. “We were able to help MicroStar transition their headquarters to a part of town that is a much better fit for their culture and brand,” Riedl added.

“The team at Community First did an excellent job finding a building and location that aligned with our customers’ and our culture, and we are especially happy to work with them to make a significant donation to one of our favorite charities, Pints for Prostates,” said Place.

“We’re excited to welcome MicroStar Logistics to the Root Building. MicroStar has a forward-thinking culture that fits nicely into the fabric of the Platte Street submarket and we look forward to working with them to grow their already impressive business,” said Austin Kane, vice president and regional director for Unico Properties, which owns the property. “Our thanks also to Community First for their efforts in our third transaction in the past year,” he said.