Frontier Lighting buys warehouse for expansion

BUYER: Frontier Lighting Inc. (principals: Gary Bach and Jeff McManus), Clearwater

SELLER: Production Properties

PROPERTY: 6204 E. 28th St., Bradenton

PRICE: $800,000

PREVIOUS PRICE: $544,300, November 1991

LAW FIRM ON DEED: David D. Bone attorney, Sarasota

PLANS, DESCRIPTION: Clearwater-based Frontier Lighting Inc. purchased a 20,240-square-foot flex building for $800,000.

The price equated to $40 per square foot.

The lighting wholesaler plans to use the building as a larger replacement for a leased building it operates on 21st Street.

“It's quite a bit larger; we only have about 5,000 square feet now,” says Gary Bach, co-owner of Frontier Lighting. “We're planning to use it as more of a central distribution facility for our Clearwater and Fort Myers offices. That should allow us to free up some space in Clearwater.”

The company already owns land in Centre Park in south Manatee County and had planned to develop a new building. However, after meeting with a builder, Bach says the company decided to look at existing buildings.

“We were told we could buy what we needed for half what it would cost to build or we could get twice as much for the same price,” he says.

Frontier Lighting will be changing the interior of the building and hopes to start operating there by January or February.

Linda O'Brien with Wagner Realty represented the seller and Carl Wise of Preferred Commercial Inc. represented the buyer. Frontier Lighting mortgaged the property to Bank of America for $640,000.