The United States Postal Service secured one of the largest industrial leases in the Birmingham, Alabama, area for 2025 when it chose Academy Logistics Center to serve as a processing and distribution center, a deal that earned the transaction a 2026 CoStar Impact Award, as judged by real estate professionals familiar with the market.
The government agency chose Academy due to its central location and access to interstate highways. The postal service also needed a large facility and plans to occupy 100% of the 311,900-square-foot facility.
The lease is economically significant for the region, according to Stephanie Hill, director of Southpace Properties and one of the Impact Award judges.
“This transaction brought one of the largest employers in the country to a brand-new Class-A logistics facility, activating 100% of the building with a mission-critical use that will generate sustained employment and ancillary economic activity in the surrounding market,” she wrote.
About the project: Academy Logistics Center is located minutes from Interstates 20 and 59, and exits 110 and 108. The building, situated on 36.4 acres, is adjacent to an Amazon Fulfillment Center.
What the judges said: “The USPS lease stands out because it fills a speculative industrial building and one of the largest vacancies in the Birmingham market,” wrote Matt Rowan, a valuation analyst with Colliers International Valuation and Advisory Services. “Securing a major tenant like USPS puts top-quality space to work and underscores the ongoing strength of the west submarket.”
They made it happen: Jack Brown, senior vice president, Graham & Co. and Sonny Culp, senior vice president, Graham & Co. leased the center to USPS. Graham & Co. developed the facility and will manage it.