Third Coast buys former Benteler facility, signs Custer as lead tenant

Third Coast buys former Benteler facility, signs Custer as lead tenant

GRAND RAPIDS — A vacant manufacturing facility has new owners and will be divided up for multiple new users.

Third Coast Development LLC announced that it has purchased the Benteler Automotive Corp. facility at 320 Hall St. SW in Grand Rapids and will renovate it for main tenant Custer Office, a designer of office spaces, according to a statement.

Custer will consolidate its Grand Rapids warehousing operations to 60,000 square feet of the 190,000-square-foot building. About 110,000 square feet will remain for industrial, warehouse and manufacturing, while 10,000 will be dedicated to offices. The site will include a 400-space surface parking lot after renovations.

Scott Custer, vice president of business process improvement at Custer, said the company’s growth fueled the need to consolidate its Grand Rapids operations into one warehouse.

The company did not offer a timeline for its move.

Benteler had employed about 220 people at the plant before it ceased operations there in 2014. Third Coast bought the site in July and expects to invest $2.5 million into renovations, according to a statement.

“Custer is not only an anchor tenant, but they are a key partner in the renovation of this facility,” said Third Coast Development partner Brad Rosely, adding that Custer will serve as lead designer for the project.