After its warehouse in Springdale, Arkansas, was damaged by a tornado in 2022, Denmark-based Nilfisk, a global manufacturer and distributor of cleaning equipment and supplies, found itself unexpectedly in the market for a replacement distribution center to handle shipments of its cleaning machines and parts.
Fortunately, an ideal option happened to be available at 4700 SW Regional Airport Blvd. in Bentonville's Crossmar Industrial Park, a master-planned park just north of the Walmart regional distribution centers and the Northwest Arkansas National Airport. The building size, recent construction and location providing direct access to Interstate 49 made the facility an ideal operational hub for the global manufacturer.
However, the relocation was far from a slam dunk and required creative problem-solving to meet a series of tight timelines and make the space available for Nilfisk, thereby reactivating one of Northwest Arkansas's most prominent warehouse properties.
About the project: One of the most significant hurdles came at the outset: navigating the aftermath of the bankruptcy of the building's former tenant. The large industrial building was previously associated with the grandiose plans of a California-based EV carmaker to establish a major presence in Northwest Arkansas.
While still under construction, the building was preleased for 10 years to Canoe, an early EV innovator that sought to establish an "advanced industrialization facility" at the location. However, the carmaker ultimately filed for bankruptcy protection in early 2025, leaving the new building in limbo.
Despite numerous obstacles stemming from the lease being tied up in bankruptcy court, the Colliers | Arkansas leasing team of Wade Smith and John Rowland aligned all the parties, cleared the legal encumbrances and restored clear control of the property to make the space available on an accelerated timeline, allowing the cleaning equipment firm to occupy the entire building under a sublease.
What the judges said: "Nilfisk is one of the larger tenants in the NWA [Northwest Arkansas]. Keeping the firm here retained a lot of jobs," noted Butch Gurganus, president of Focus Commercial Real Estate.
"The scale of this lease and the number of associated manufacturing/assembly jobs ensure that this lease is going to have a major impact on the commercial real estate landscape in Northwest Arkansas," added Clinton Bennett, co-managing director of Focus Commercial Real Estate.
"The sheer scale of this deal, being one of the largest, if not the largest, warehouse leases in Northwest Arkansas, is notable, said CBRE Senior Vice President David Erstine. "Retaining Nilfisk within the market is also a big 'win'," he added.
They made it happen: Wade Smith, SIOR, and John Rowland of Colliers | Arkansas represented the landlord, CrossMar Investments, a privately held commercial real estate development and investment firm headquartered in Bentonville. The regional developer has a portfolio concentrated in industrial parks and office properties across Northwest Arkansas and the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.