SOMIC gets larger U.S. HQ in Inver Grove Heights - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal

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The new U.S. hub is located in a warehouse that's part of a five-building business park, developed by United Properties, in Inver Grove Heights.

A packaging-machine manufacturer more than tripled its footprint when it moved its U.S. headquarters into a United Properties-built warehouse it bought earlier this year in Inver Grove Heights.

SOMIC Packaging Inc., a subsidiary of Amerang, Germany-based SOMIC, began occupying the 48,000-square-foot Class A industrial building this week. The company renovated the property, located at 8270 Courthouse Blvd., after purchasing it from Minneapolis-based United Properties in February for $6.48 million.

The building, called InverPoint 5, is part of InverPoint Business Park, which United Properties developed as a 475,000-square-foot, five-building project.

The company moved from a 14,000-square-foot space it was leasing at Gateway Business Park, 500 Lone Oak Road, in Eagan. It moved into that space in 2018 after previously being based in Chicago.

The larger hub is part of SOMIC's plan to expand its operations in the U.S., according to a press release from Forte Real Estate Partners, which advised the company on the new space. SOMIC manufactures shelf-ready packaging machines for companies in industries like cheese, dairy, health care and pet care.

The company can now start assembling all of its North American machines out of the new space, Peter Fox, CEO of the local SOMIC, said in the release. The company sought the space due to its proximity to its former space in Eagan and the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, as well as its access to Interstate 494 and Highway 55.

SOMIC didn't disclose its current number of local employees.

The renovation work on the building included a buildout of 10,300 square feet for office space on the first floor and an 8,000-square-foot second-floor mezzanine for a future office expansion.

Phil Simonet, of Forte, advised the company on the new space, while Wally Tufvander, also of Forte, oversaw interior buildout. SOMIC also worked with St. Paul-based Pope Design Group and Coon Rapids-based Jorgenson Construction Inc. on the buildout.

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