What started as pie-in-the-sky jesting between local developer RCI and Trihelm Properties over bringing a dream tenant to their showroom retail facility at 255 Mar Lyn Drive in Brandon, Mississippi, ended up winning a 2023 CoStar Impact Award as judged by real estate professionals based in the market.
RCI and Trihelm worked together to bring a Tesla electric vehicle retail store to Brandon, the first to open in the state. Brandon is an eastern suburb of Jackson, Mississippi's capital city.
“We were kind of potshotting stuff, wondering who is the best tenant you could get in here. When Tesla was mentioned, there was a chuckle,” Savage told the local Jackson newspaper. “I found someone online and sent them an email. The next thing I know they are flying out here to look at the property.”
About the project: Renovations at 255 Mar Lyn prepared the 25,000-square-foot building for Tesla to begin operations last year.
What the judges said: The opening of a Tesla dealership is expected to have a significant economic impact on the area as electric vehicles are changing the auto industry, EV is changing cars as we know it, " said Steven Rowe, Senior Vice President, Multi-Family Sales for SVN Tommey Property Advisors.
"First in the state, this is a big deal," added Bill Hankins of Cook Commercial Properties.
They made it happen: Adam Savage, vice president of Trihelm, led the effort for the owners.