SCHEER PARTNERS NEGOTIATES 86,367-SQUARE-FOOT LEASE FOR MARTEK

Columbia, MD – One of Maryland’s largest and oldest health-care companies is expanding its corporate headquarters, taking on additional space to accommodate for future growth.

Scheer Partners, the leading provider of fully integrated commercial real estate services for the health science industry in the Washington and Baltimore metropolitan areas, announced today that it has represented Martek Biosciences Corp. in the signing of a 86,367-square-foot, long-term lease at 6480 Dobbin Road in Columbia that includes both renewal and expansion space.

The publicly traded company is leasing administrative, laboratory and technical space at 6480 Dobbin Road. Martek’s renewal of its existing lease, coupled with the addition of expansion space, is another signal that the region’s life sciences community is recovering from the recent economic downturn.

Adam Nachlas, formerly a senior vice president with Scheer Partners who now works at Manekin Corp., served as the lead broker representing Martek in its new lease. The owner of 6480 Dobbin Road is Preston Partners.

Robert Scheer, the founder and president of Scheer Partners, says he is extremely pleased that Martek’s new lease is now completed.

“This company is one of the most successful health-care businesses in Maryland, and the fact that Martek continues to expand even in a sluggish economy demonstrates how well it is performing,” Scheer says. “Executing a lease of this size is a tremendous accomplishment.”

Founded in 1985, Martek is a leading developer of nutritional products that promote health and wellness through every stage of life. The company has become a leader in fermentation technology and is also an innovator in the research and development of products derived from microalgae.

The company has 525 employees at facilities in Maryland, Colorado, Kentucky and South Carolina. In Boulder, Colo., Martek leases administrative, laboratory and technical space.

The company also owns a fermentation and oil-processing facility in Winchester, Ky., and additionally owns a fermentation and oil-processing facility in Kingstree, S.C.