Tag

Old Town Alexandria

Local Entrepreneurs Bring Back King Street’s Flowers

By | Alexandria, King St., News, Old Town Alexandria, Press, VA | No Comments

Original article by Alexandria Living, Beth Lawton, September 25, 2020

The flower baskets on King Street may have remained empty this year until Teddy Kim and Andy Reid stepped up.

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King Street almost didn’t have flowers hanging from its iconic light posts this year.

As the realities of the coronavirus pandemic pushed City of Alexandria officials to tighten its budget, it appeared that the King Street flowers could be on the chopping block.

The petunias, lantana, dragon wing begonias and blue scaevola adorning King Streets lamps are all thanks to the efforts of T.C. Williams grads and local entrepreneurs Teddy Kim and Andy Reid, with backing from Alexandria Lighting and Avanti Holdings.

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Andy Reid, top, and Teddy Kim, made sure the flowers on the light posts on King Street in Old Town were in place this year when budget cuts threatened the program.

“We thought it was something we should do because it adds a lot to the city and shows the community pride that makes Alexandria so special,” Kim said this week.

It was early April when Kim and Reid found out the flowers were at risk in necessary pandemic budget cuts.

Working with Alexandria’s parks department and city staff, Kim and Reid used schematics from the previous years and worked with wholesalers to find plant materials, including the basket base, soil and flowers. The two made multiple trips to Maryland to bring back materials from places like Garden Artisans in Annapolis and Six Flags.

After purchasing a trailer and watering tank, Kim and Reid worked for about a week straight to fill the 240 flower baskets that run the length of King Street in Old Town — Kim would usually hold the ladder and Reid would go up and do the planting, covering three to five blocks each day.

“We literally brought life back to the street as we installed,” Reid said. As they planted, store owners and residents walking on King Street thanked them.

Growing up in Alexandria, both Kim and Reid said their parents instilled the value of giving back to the community. Reid’s parents were both public school teachers and both loved to garden, and Reid is now setting up a new landscaping company, Reid Outdoors, LLC.

“With that there’s a lot of pride — Titan pride, Alexandria pride — and I think the flowers and taking care of your community is also a show of pride in the community,” Reid said.

All summer, the two have been watering plants between midnight and 3 a.m. multiple times per week. With on-street outdoor dining late into the nights and early deliveries for King Street stores starting around 5 a.m., the midnight to 3 a.m. time slot was the only safe time for them to water the plants, replace flowers that didn’t thrive and do other maintenance.

Kim and Reid are not being paid for this, and neither Alexandria Lighting nor Avanti Holdings Group, where Kim is a principle, are receiving any payments. The project, including materials, labor and overhead, is valued at more than $60,000.

Reid chose hardy flowers that were disease resistant, drought resistant and native — all chosen for longevity. The flowers are expected to last through at least October.

“As we start to have frost or cold air at night, the things that don’t do well, we’ll start taking them out,” Kim said.

At a time when many residents and business owners were feeling some despondency about the pandemic, “we wanted to show hope, we wanted to show strength, we wanted to show pride,” Kim said.

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Read full article at: https://alexandrialivingmagazine.com/business/local-entrepreneurs-bring-back-king-street-flowers/

Novo Secures Approvals for Apartment Project in Old Town Alexandria

By | Alexandria, Commercial Real Estate, Multi-Unit, News, Real Estate Development, VA | No Comments

Original article by CoStar Research, Craig Donahue, August 3, 2020

Novo Properties has received unanimous approval from the Alexandria City Council and Alexandria Planning Commission to develop a new apartment project along Route 1 in Old Town.

The multifamily investor, developer and manager out of Washington, D.C. said it plans to break ground early next year on The Grayson, a 119-unit apartment complex with street-level retail. The development is named after Sarah Gray, an African American educator in Alexandria during the late 1800s and an inductee into the Library of Virginia’s Virginia Women in History program.
Novo paid $9.25 million last July to acquire a stake in the 1970s-vintage retail complex at 1200 N. Henry St. from Avanti Holdings Group, with the venture teaming up to co-develop the new project. Located just north of the Braddock Road Metro station, the development has been drawn up to incorporate reprogrammed ground floor retail space as well as a daycare that has been redesigned to improve its layout and accessibility. Novo is exploring retail brokerage firms at this time.

“There’s a huge unmet demand for daycare in this submarket and even more now as spacing needs are changing due to COVID-19,” Novo Partner Neil Goradia said in a statement. Novo said the design changes made to the daycare and retail spaces allowed it to capture additional residential density after initially proposing a development with 115 units.

Amazon’s new home in Crystal City is expected to be a huge boon for neighboring Alexandria, where historic Old Town and the transforming Potomac Y
ard area offer potential Amazon employees the best of both worlds: a small town, suburban escape, and a fast-paced, Metro-accessible urban community, according CoStar’s latest report on the submarket. Coupled with the arrival of Virginia Tech’s $1 billion Innovation Campus in Potomac Yard, Novo said it will look to capture demand from the more cost-conscious, suburban-type renters expected to arrive with the rollout of the two campuses.

“The impact from the entry of these large employers is creating a demand for tiered apartment pricing,” Goradia said. “Not every apartment dweller will want to pay up to live in National Landing or Potomac Yards and can live a few Metro stops away for a more affordable rent and we want to capture that demand.”

Construction on the project is expected to be completed in 2022.

New Multifamily Housing, Retail Coming to 701 N. Henry St.

By | Alexandria, Commercial Real Estate, Multi-Unit, Real Estate Development, VA | No Comments

Original article by Alexandria Living Magazine, June 22, 2020

Nearly 100 new residences could come to Old Town, replacing a vacant building.

701 N Henry St.

Avanti, a development company, is requesting a series of changes in zoning, density and more to demolish the Alexandria Lighting & Supply building and build a 5-story multi-family building with 94 residential units, underground parking and retail space on the ground floor. The project could go before City Council for approval in early July.

Alexandria Lighting & Supply, which has been in business for more than half a century, would move to a new location.

The project would include undergrounding utilities.

At least seven of the units would be affordable housing. The residences could be rentals or condominiums.

The 0.75 acre site is at the corner of Wythe Street and North Henry Street.

More information about the project is available in city documents here.

Alexandria to weigh new development for a Route 1 site that hasn’t changed since 1945

By | Alexandria, Commercial Real Estate, Condos, Multi-Unit, Real Estate Development, VA, Warehouse | No Comments

Original article by Bisnow, Michal Neibauer, August 31, 2018

A big change is coming to a triangular piece of land in Alexandria that hasn’t changed much at all in more than 70 years.

The 0.8-acre site at 1200 N. Henry St., less than a half mile north of the Braddock Road Metro station, was built up with one- and two-story industrial buildings in 1945, according to an Alexandria staff report. The proposal slated for review by the city’s Planning Commission on Tuesday would replace those uses with a 115-unit multifamily building — including 11 affordable units — a 10,000-square-foot day care center, ground-floor retail and 137 underground parking spaces.

The applicant, 1200 N. Henry Street LLC, is an entity of Avanti Holdings Group. Alexandria-based Avanti, led by principals Teddy Kim (he of The People’s Drug and Chop Shop Taco), Keinan Ashkenaziand Greg Salvaggio, has largely tackled smaller warehouse-to-office conversions and retail projects to this point. This will be its largest endeavor to date.

Designed by Davis Carter Scott Ltd., the seven-story building has a triangular footprint and rises to a maximum height of 85 feet along the western edge, where it is closest to the Braddock Gateway campus and a planned extension of North Fayette Street. A 20-foot high retail podium would front Route 1.

The site, where North Henry and North Patrick streets begin, is just south of the Route 1 bridge carrying traffic toward Potomac Yard. It is really the first thing drivers see as they come south toward Old Town. City planners, who recommend approval, say the proposed development offers “high-quality architectural design with a signature gateway element” at its northern entrance, a publicly accessible plaza, underground utilities and a $20,000 contribution to Alexandria’s Capital Bike Share Fund.

Cathy Puskar with Walsh Colucci Lubeley & Walsh PC is the LLC’s land use attorney.

New Town: Alexandria native Teddy Kim builds up Parker-Gray district

By | Alexandria, Commercial Real Estate, News, Press, Real Estate Development, Restaurant, VA | No Comments

Teddy Kim at Marlowe Ink in Old Town (Photo Credit: Alexa Epitropoulos)

Teddy Kim saw early potential in the Parker-Gray neighborhood. The Alexandria native had graduated from Virginia Tech University with a degree in urban planning when in 2004 he initiated the process to buy a house in the neighborhood that was for sale by owner.

Kim, who was working in government contracting at the time and making about $30,000 a year, quickly ran into problems with securing financing. After his initial lender fell through, he turned to local mortgage broker Clay Greenway.

The process of buying the house, in the end, took months, but it piqued a lasting interest for Kim in real estate.

“I was able to fix the house up, pull out some equity and buy some new houses. That was the start of everything,” Kim said. “Within 12 months, I was onto my first commercial building.”

Kim set his sights on the former Electro Steam Generator Corp. building at 1000 Bernard St. He transformed it into office space and, in the process, found a passion for redeveloping commercial buildings.

“With the residential stuff, it wasn’t so much a passion then because I wasn’t really transforming anything,” Kim said. “The reason I started with residential was because of the low barrier to entry. You can get a lot more financing on a residential asset than a commercial asset. When I went to buy the warehouse, I designed it [and] I built it.”

Kim used some of the building’s existing features in the renovation and pulled design inspiration from his own background, including his grandfather’s Naval history. For example, on the building’s exterior he used metal in a gray reminiscent of Navy Destroyers and nautical elements like cable and natural wood for finishing touches.

Nearly 15 years after buying his first property, Kim’s company, Avanti Holdings, owns

The exterior of Madison Collective, which features Marlowe Ink and the soon-to-open Chop Shop Taco, Grateful Kitchen Co. and Zweet Sport (Photo Credit: Alexa Epitropoulos)

several commercial properties in Alexandria, including multi-use space Madison Collective, which signed tenants tattoo studio Marlowe Ink and the soon-to-open Chop Shop Taco, Zweet Sport and Grateful Kitchen Co., at 727 N. Henry St.

Kim is also involved with a number of restaurant projects. Along with Chad Sparrow, Justin Sparrow and Larry Walston, Kim was part of the founding team at Mason Social, which opened in 2015. He’s since left that restaurant, but recently worked with another team to open quick service restaurant and bar The People’s Drug in the former Bittersweet Catering location.

His strategy is infill development, or developing vacant properties within already highly developed areas. He’s had extra incentive to redevelop Alexandria, where he has a vested interest. Kim was born and raised in the city, and opted to return after college to build a career. It’s where he plans to continue to invest.

“As you see D.C. really coming into this high value, a lot of people are moving into the city from other states and cities and into this area as a whole,” Kim said. “Alexandria is one of the best cities in the country.”

Native son

Kim was raised in Alexandria during a time when the city wasn’t necessarily a hot real estate market.

He grew up with his grandparents near Fort Ward Park in the 1980s and has memories of playing with neighborhood friends until the sun set.

Meanwhile, the area hadn’t hit its stride just yet.

“In the 80s, D.C. was still the murder capital of the world,” Kim said. “There wasn’t a lot going on. It was kind of the wild, wild west in Old Town and in Alexandria, in general.”

He attended several local schools, starting with what’s now the Basilica School of St. Mary’s and then moving to Alexandria City Public Schools, including Douglas MacArthur Elementary School, George Washington Middle School, Minnie Howard and, finally, T.C. Williams, from which he graduated.

As a student at T.C., Kim studied computer science and even worked at Electro Steam Generator Corp., the building he would go on to buy, for a time. Kim initially wanted to be an architect, but an advisor at T.C. convinced him to pursue computer science instead.
He headed to Virginia Tech with the intention of studying that, but didn’t engage with the classes or material. He made the switch to urban planning, which he said married his creative and analytical side.

After graduating from Virginia Tech, Kim moved back to his hometown during a time when the region was doing well economically.

“I started to see D.C. picking up. … A lot of the principles I was learning [while studying urban planning] dealt with things like revitalizing the waterfront. I could see stuff like that happening, so it was really exciting. I decided to stay here,” Kim said.

He learned about real estate by researching on the internet and turning to Greenway for mentoring and advice. Since helping him buy his house on Pendleton Street, Greenway has watched Kim grow.

“He was a young kid who had never purchased anything. He didn’t really understand the whole process of it. Back then … you met face-to-face when you did an application. We hit it off. He was really genuine and really eager to know everything on how mortgages
worked, what the process was,” Greenway said.

All these years later, Greenway said he isn’t surprised that Kim has successfully built a real estate portfolio of his own.

“There’s so many people I talk to that never get [it] or they get it, but they never act on it,” Greenway said. “That’s one of the things I like about Teddy – he’s so driven and he goes for it, which is what it takes.”

Sweat equity

Many of Kim’s biggest real estate opportunities have come together as a result of long-running relationships and a lot of persistence.

Mason Social came about in that way, over frequent conversations with the owner of 728 N. Henry St. Kim had seen the building – which had long hosted frequent T.C. haunt Esmeralda – become vacant, and saw potential for a neighborhood spot. Once he got in contact with the building’s colorful proprietor, he would visit him at 700 S. Patrick St. frequently – sometimes twice a week – and talk to him about his life, never hesitating to ask about the building at the end of the conversation.

“I ended up hearing about his life over a two-year period and going to this gas
station on a regular basis of about twice a week,” Kim said. “We became friends. I would always ask him about the restaurant and he would always say ‘Come back when you have time.’”

While conversations with the owner remained ongoing, he reconnected with an old school friend, Chad Sparrow, who had also seen potential in the building. They decided to pursue it together, bringing on Sparrow’s brother, Justin, and Larry Walston. Once they opened in
2015, the accolades followed.

“The feedback from the community was great. We had people coming in saying that they moved into the Belle Pre because of Mason Social,” Kim said. “They had come from other markets like Clarendon and they were coming to a place where they appreciated something cozy, something where it’s your neighborhood spot.”

Kim exited that partnership when he decided to focus on quick service restaurant models, a category into which the recently opened People’s Drug fits. That project was also done with old friends, Seth McClelland and Ian McGrath.

The People’s Drug restaurant is decorated as a tribute to its namesake drugstore chain. (Courtesy Photo)

“We remembered the joys of eating at the counter at [local pharmacy] The People’s Drug and places like G.C. Murphy’s at Bradlee,” Kim said. “As a kid, I remember biking there with the cards in your spokes at about 6 or 7 [p.m.] and it would be a group of five of us from the neighborhood, sitting at the counter and buying these fake candy cigarettes and a grilled cheese sandwich.”

Kim, McClelland and McGrath brought those memories and the Americana trend to The People’s Drug, which features American-inspired sandwiches and cocktails. Kim said the space, which is less than 1,000 square feet, perfectly houses the concept. Chop Shop Taco, which will open as part of Madison Collective on Henry Street, will fit into the same model as The People’s Drug.

It’s being opened in collaboration with Kim’s college friend, Kris Garcia, and chef Ed McIntosh. The restaurant’s name pays homage to one of the building’s former occupants, a “chop shop” for stolen cars.

That speaks to Kim’s strategy, which involves preserving and often enhancing a building’s historic features, while transforming it into something new.

“We’re not going to hide much of the original structure – we’re going to honor it,” Kim said.

James Marlowe, owner of Marlowe Ink at Madison Collective, said that’s something he liked

James Marlowe and Doniel Drake at Marlowe Ink in Old Town (Photo Credit: Alexa Epitropoulos)

about working with Kim.

“He’s a local and is very interested in the history all over Alexandria. That was really appealing to me, but, at the same time, he wants to move forward and bring a little bit of new life, without changing everything. It’s not like he wants to tear everything down, obviously,” Marlowe said. “This is a classic building – it’s keeping that element.”

Kim isn’t someone who holds on to a building just to hold on to it – he’s always thinking about profiting from the value he provides.

“I’m always thinking about the value position I’m sitting at. In some instances, the value is capital. I’m trying to get to that place, but I’m not there yet. My value is the sweat poured into the transformation,” Kim said.

“Typically, what I like to do, until I get to where capital is my value, is getting an asset that needs some type of re-working, whether it’s tenants, construction, rezoning. I put my value into it that way and then move on to the next project. Once I get the asset where it is something that I think is the peak for the time, I decide to move on and exit to the next project.”

Moving forward

Kim’s company, Avanti Holdings, is balancing multiple commercial projects, including the building the company is housed in at 1605 King St.

Avanti Holdings’ logo at the investment group’s headquarters at 1605 King St., a building the company owns (Photo Credit: Mae Hunt)

The company, founded by Kim, Keinan Ashkenazi and Greg Salvaggio, started with a $2 million warehouse on Calvert Avenue that the three decided to go in on together.

They decided to make their partnership official and incorporate the company, named after the main chairlift in Aspen and after the Italian word meaning “to move forward.” Ashkenazi called Kim the brains behind the real estate.

“He has the uncanny ability to kind of weed through a lot of the details and nonsense and other things on a real estate deal that’s presented to us and very quickly analyze whether it’s a good deal or not,” he said. “… He does it with people that have been in the industry 20 years longer than him and he’s a lot sharper than 99 percent of them.”

At the moment, the company’s investments are focused within the city limits. Ashkenazi said that’s by design.

“Most of what we try to do is really improve the fabric of the city in areas that maybe just are kind of stale and old. We try to bring some vibrancy and interesting tenants,” Ashkenazi said. “We won’t just let anyone be a tenant. We try to get better, more interesting, more vibrant [tenants]. Rather than just another nail salon, we try to get something that’s a little more interesting for the growth of Alexandria.”

Kim is motivated to focus on local investments both because he knows the city well and because he keeps seeing the potential that prompted him to return after college.

“Being born and raised here is really helpful. And living within five blocks of the majority of our projects is very helpful. Hearing and knowing what the community needs is helpful,” Kim said. “Right now, as we continue to grow, we still see a lot of opportunity here in Alexandria.”

Kim said the city is poised, more now than ever, to grow.

“The fact that Old Town, as a generalization, has been slow to adopt is because these industrial areas weren’t developed until now,” Kim said. “I understand not wanting to change much of King Street when you have a building from the 1700s, but, in those areas where you have a warehouse from 1960, that’s a great opportunity to do something.”

Original article by Alexandria Times, Alexa Epitropoulos, July 19, 2018.

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Read full article at: https://alextimes.com/2018/07/teddykim/

Eclectic Collective

By | Alexandria, Bar, Commercial Real Estate, Press, Restaurant, VA | No Comments
Madison Collective to bring tacos, tattoos to Parker Grey.

 

 

 

 

Chop Shop Taco will offer tacos, tortas and more once it opens in the Madison Collective this summer.

Original article by  Gazette Packet, Hope Nelson, July 7-13, 2018.

Block by block, the Parker Grey neighborhood continues to receive new residents. The latest result of recent growth within the thriving community: The Madison Collective, a development playing host to several businesses within one block. The development, created by Avanti Holdings, is slated to open this summer at 1008 Madison St., adjacent to the corner of North Henry Street. And its offerings will be as diverse as the neighborhood it calls home: A taco shop, a juice bar, a fitness gym and a tattoo parlor will all be opening within the coming months. “What we’ve been trying to do for a long time is to keep Alexandria current, to keep it in line with other options in the DC area,” said Madison Collective principal owner Teddy Kim. “… Alexandria is quickly becoming more known as something that’s a little different than the other pockets (such as Georgetown or the D.C. Wharf).” Kim, a resident of Parker Grey, is not new to the area’s business scene: He and his business partners are the founders of nearby Mason Social. And between Mason Social, Lost Dog Café, the Solidcore gym and Sugar Shack, the new Madison Collective won’t be alone in its quest to draw neighbors in — but its offerings are different from what’s currently available, as well. Chop Shop Taco, its name an homage to the automotive chop shop that sat on the development’s land for so long, will offer tacos, tortas and other Latin-American-inspired food for lunch and dinner. Zweet Sport will help diners work off their meals with a cycling studio and fitness space. Grateful Kitchen will offer an array of juice and coffee via a walk-up window, and James Marlowe of Marlowe Ink is bringing his tattoo artistry to Parker Grey in a new studio. “It’s an interesting mix,” said Judy Noritake, president of the nearby Braddock Metro Citizens’ Coalition. “I think that Avanti and Teddy Kim … has a real understanding of who lives in the neighborhood and where the neighborhood should be going from a retail standpoint.” Madison Collective’s storefronts will open this summer, some perhaps ahead of others. And Kim says he’s looking forward to the impact the development will make within the neighborhood and the city. “I’m most excited about (Madison Collective’s) diversity,” Kim said. “I think that’s representative of the diversity of Alexandria.”

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Read more at: http://connectionarchives.com/PDF/2018/060618/Alexandria.pdf

 

Investing in the future, OPEI purchases new headquarters building

By | Alexandria, Commercial Real Estate, News, Office, Press, Uncategorized, VA | No Comments

ALEXANDRIA, Va.Aug. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) announces the association has purchased a new headquarters building, and will move its offices to 1605 King Street, Alexandria, Va., in the spring of 2018.

Avanti Holding Group principal Teddy Kim and OPEI President and CEO Kris Kiser close Aug. 15.

OPEI President and CEO Kris Kiser said the trade association outgrew its current space. The new building will be better equipped for the association’s needs. “OPEI has been dealing with a problem for a couple years now,” Kiser said. “And it’s a great problem to have: We’ve increased our membership and increased our member engagement to a point that we’ve outgrown our current location and meeting space.”

The new OPEI headquarters will include a state-of-the-art conference center that can seat 50 people for in-person and virtual meetings. This new space will enable OPEI members around the country and overseas to participate more fully in association business and activities.

“As a trade group with members in EuropeJapanChina and across the United States, we have global meetings, and we wanted to be able to host them in person and virtually. Now, we’ll be better suited to host ISO, IEC and other international gatherings,” said Kiser. “Alexandria has been our home for 30 years. When we looked to make this decision, we considered other locales, and our board of directors chose to reinvest in Alexandriadue to its proximity to Washington, D.C., airports, hotels, as well as its historic character and lifestyle.”

OPEI’s new King Street location is on the historic main thoroughfare in the bustling heart of Old Town Alexandria, and is within walking distance to several hotels. It is one block from the King Street Metro station, the second subway stop from Washington National Airport. It will also have private offices reserved for members when they visit the D.C. area.

OPEI closed on its new location on Aug. 15, and the move represents a multi-million-dollar investment. OPEI has retained OTJ Architects of Washington, D.C., for the project.

“In 1987, OPEI’s board was prescient and chose to relocate from Washington, D.C., to Alexandria and built its current building. The current building met our needs for three decades and appreciated considerably. Our new building prepares us for future growth and engagement,” said Kiser.

About OPEI
The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) is an international trade association representing more than 100 power equipment, engine and utility vehicle manufacturers and suppliers. OPEI is the advocacy voice of the industry, and a recognized Standards Development Organization for the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and active internationally through the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in the development of safety and performance standards. OPEI is managing partner of GIE+EXPO, the industry’s annual international trade show, and the creative force behind the environmental education program, TurfMutt.com. OPEI-Canada represents members on a host of issues, including recycling, emissions and other regulatory developments across the Canadian provinces. For more information, visit www.OPEI.org.

Media contacts/Image Requests
– Ami Neiberger-Miller, Four Leaf PR on behalf of OPEI, 703-887-4877, rel=”nofollow”>ami@fourleafpr.com
– Suzanne Henry, Four Leaf PR on behalf of OPEI, 434-972-7278, rel=”nofollow”>suzanne@fourleafpr.com

Original article by PRESS RELEASE PR NewswireAug. 21, 2017

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Read full article at: http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/Investing-in-the-future-OPEI-purchases-new-headquarters-building-1002272345

Investing in the future, OPEI purchases new headquarters building

By | Alexandria, Commercial Real Estate, News, Office, Press, VA | No Comments

ALEXANDRIA, Va.Aug. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) announces the association has purchased a new headquarters building, and will move its offices to 1605 King Street, Alexandria, Va., in the spring of 2018.

Avanti Holding Group principal Teddy Kim and OPEI President and CEO Kris Kiser close Aug. 15.

Original article by Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI)Aug 21, 2017

OPEI President and CEO Kris Kiser said the trade association outgrew its current space. The new building will be better equipped for the association’s needs. “OPEI has been dealing with a problem for a couple years now,” Kiser said. “And it’s a great problem to have: We’ve increased our membership and increased our member engagement to a point that we’ve outgrown our current location and meeting space.”

The new OPEI headquarters will include a state-of-the-art conference center that can seat 50 people for in-person and virtual meetings. This new space will enable OPEI members around the country and overseas to participate more fully in association business and activities.

“As a trade group with members in EuropeJapanChina and across the United States, we have global meetings, and we wanted to be able to host them in person and virtually. Now, we’ll be better suited to host ISO, IEC and other international gatherings,” said Kiser. “Alexandria has been our home for 30 years. When we looked to make this decision, we considered other locales, and our board of directors chose to reinvest in Alexandriadue to its proximity to Washington, D.C., airports, hotels, as well as its historic character and lifestyle.”

OPEI’s new King Street location is on the historic main thoroughfare in the bustling heart of Old Town Alexandria, and is within walking distance to several hotels. It is one block from the King Street Metro station, the second subway stop from Washington National Airport. It will also have private offices reserved for members when they visit the D.C. area.

OPEI closed on its new location on Aug. 15, and the move represents a multi-million-dollar investment. OPEI has retained OTJ Architects of Washington, D.C., for the project.

“In 1987, OPEI’s board was prescient and chose to relocate from Washington, D.C., to Alexandria and built its current building. The current building met our needs for three decades and appreciated considerably. Our new building prepares us for future growth and engagement,” said Kiser.

About OPEI
The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) is an international trade association representing more than 100 power equipment, engine and utility vehicle manufacturers and suppliers. OPEI is the advocacy voice of the industry, and a recognized Standards Development Organization for the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and active internationally through the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in the development of safety and performance standards. OPEI is managing partner of GIE+EXPO, the industry’s annual international trade show, and the creative force behind the environmental education program, TurfMutt.com. OPEI-Canada represents members on a host of issues, including recycling, emissions and other regulatory developments across the Canadian provinces. For more information, visit www.OPEI.org.

Media contacts/Image Requests
– Ami Neiberger-Miller, Four Leaf PR on behalf of OPEI, 703-887-4877, ami@fourleafpr.com
– Suzanne Henry, Four Leaf PR on behalf of OPEI, 434-972-7278, suzanne@fourleafpr.com

 

SOURCE Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI)

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Read full article at: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/investing-in-the-future-opei-purchases-new-headquarters-building-300506826.html