Regions Southwest
Houston Firm Bought in August Sells Manufacturing Facility
Oct 10, 2008
By: Tonie Auer, Southwest Correspondent

Less than two months after being absorbed by a Russian manufacturer, the largest independent tubular manufacturer in North America, John Maneely Co. (JMC), has sold its 188,800-square-foot facility in eastern Houston to Miami-based Elite Sales Inc., an importer and wholesale distributor of wire rope, cable, strand, chain and hardware, for an undisclosed amount.

The building is situated on approximately 10.82 acres and housed the company’s Seminole Wheatland Tube Facility before its acquisition by Novolipetsk Steel, a Russian steel producer. Novolipetsk purchased the company last month from The Carlyle Group, a global private equity firm.

The sale of the business coincides with the shuttering of the 30-year-old plant and the layoff of its 80-person staff, according to the Houston Business Journal.

The buyer, Elite Sales, is relocating from its 40,000-square-foot facility at 2003 Edwards Street, in Midtown Houston, to the larger facility. Once vacated, the Edwards Street location will be available to leasing prospects.

On Aug. 12, Novolipetsk Steel, the leading Russian steel producer, signed a definitive agreement to acquire John Maneely Co. from a shareholder group including global private equity firm The Carlyle Group and the Zekelman family for $3.53 billion, acquiring the company on a debt free, cash free basis. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter.

The transaction will be financed from available bank commitments, including the recently established $1.6 billion Pre Export Finance (PXF) facility and a $2 billion bridge commitment provided by Merrill Lynch, Deutsche Bank and Societe Generale.

Micheal Palmer, John Simons and Susana Rosas with CB Richard Ellis Inc. represented John Maneely in the sale of the Houston site and will handle the leasing efforts for 2003 Edwards Street on behalf of Elite Sales.

Headquartered in Beachwood, Ohio, JMC is the largest independent tubular manufacturer in North America, employing 2,100 people and operating eleven plants in five states and one Canadian province with a total production capacity of more than 3 million tons of steel pipe and tube per year.

 
Recent Southwest Headlines
General Growth Wangles Extensions on $900M in Mortgages
General Growth Properties Inc. has reached an agreement with a six-lender consortium to extend the maturity date for $900 million in mortgage loans on the company’s Fashion Show and Palazzo malls on the Las Vegas strip.
Halvorson Joins Hanley Investment as SVP, Arizona Retail
Hanley Investment Group Real Estate Advisors said today that industry veteran John Halvorson has joined the company as a senior vice president to focus on the Arizona retail market.
Commerce Center Intercontinental Acquires Tucson Industrial Portfolio
Intercontinental Real Estate Corp. has purchased a technology & industrial portfolio in Tucson, Ariz., the company announced. The acquisition was made on behalf of Intercontinental’s U.S. Real Estate Investment Fund L.L.C.
Opus Phoenix-Area Retail Center Moves Forward
Opus West Corp. has begun construction on, and nailed down leases for most of the space at, the 170,000-square-foot Mill Crossing retail center in Chandler, Ariz., in southeast metro Phoenix.
$700M Houston-Area Mixed-Use Project Expands
A huge mixed-use development in a Houston suburb has recently both broken ground and potentially added another major component. The 150-acre WaterLights project, being developed by Historic Real Estate Inc., is under way in the growing Houston suburb of Pearland.