Cosentino Surfaces to be first tenant in Benderson industrial project

The I-4 Corridor isn’t the only locale garnering attention for its new industrial and distribution space along the Gulf Coast, of course.

Benderson Development Co. has snagged its first tenant for its Florida International Trade Port project, in the Ellenton section of Manatee County.

Cosentino Surfaces, a giant flooring and kitchen and bathroom surfaces supplier based in Almeria, Spain, has signed on to lease 25,000 square feet in a 123,840-square-foot building and will open a center there by the end of this month.

“Most people don’t realize how big a company they are,” says Larry Fineberg, executive director of industrial, office and warehouse projects for Benderson. “We’re very excited to have them there.”

Cosentino will move operations from Benderson’s Commerce Center project, also in Manatee County. The new showroom and distribution space will give the surface maker significant visibility along Interstate 75.

“The visibility to I-75 is amazing and number of cars that drive by that location is irreplaceable advertising,” Fineberg says.

Cosentino officials at the company’s North American headquarters, in Miami, did not respond to a telephone call for comment on the new facility.

Fineberg expects two or three additional tenants to commit to the space, which has 32-foot-clear ceilings and ESFR sprinklers, in the coming weeks.

“We’re making it functional and attractive, not unlike our retail centers,” he says.

In all, the roughly 120-acre business park has been approved for 2 million square feet of industrial space. A second 123,840-square-foot building is under construction now, and two others, totaling 175,000 square feet, also are planned.