Northland emerges as leader in “build-to-suit” solutions

Gorham manufacturing facility built in less than 11 months

(Gorham, Maine) Last summer, the Town of Gorham issued a Certificate of Occupancy to Harvey Performance Company for its new 79,000 square foot manufacturing facility at 49 Raceway Drive. A manufacturer of tools and machines that help support machinists, engineers, and CNC programmers, Harvey’s new building is now home to almost 90 well-paying jobs for highly-skilled workers. The location serves as the company’s innovation hub.

SMMA Architects of Cambridge, MA designed the new building. Northland Enterprises of Portland was the developer on the project, which is a build-to-suit partnership with Harvey. Northland actually bought the land from Moody’s Co-Worker Owned, Inc., and owns the building that Harvey now occupies. But as a leading build-to-suit developer in northern New England, Northland designed the building to Harvey’s exact specifications.

One of Maine’s leading commercial contractors, Landry/French Construction, which also specializes in build-to-suit facilities, began construction in the Summer of 2019 and finished the building in less than eleven months.

“Landry/French did a phenomenal job, given the extra challenges presented by the pandemic,” said Josh Benthien, CEO and partner at Northland. “The build-to-suit model is an innovation that more and more companies are finding to be an attractive option, and I’m pleased that we’re making a name for ourselves in this highly specialized niche. I think you’ll see many more companies begin to explore this alternative. It’s a cost-effective way to grow and modernize that allows companies to conserve their economic resources for business expansion, rather than investing in the bricks and mortar of their facilities.”

Notably, Northland incorporated into the design and permit process a 39,000 square foot expansion that has been pre-approved for future development. Northland has completed build-to-suit developments for Clark Insurance, Goodwill Industries, The Maine College of Art, The Via Agency, Diversified Investments and several medical facilities.