When SLM Global leased a large warehouse in Savannah, the Vietnam-based supplier of ground screws, quartz stone, rubber and plywood provided a spark to the industrial market surrounding the Georgia Ports Authority's Garden City Terminal.
SLM signed a deal to take the entire 800,000-square-foot industrial property. Moreover, the deal signed in March 2025 filled a large vacancy created when home improvement giant Home Depot moved out of the space it had occupied for several years. It proved to be a big win for building owner EQT Real Estate of Radnor, Pennsylvania.
The company's commitment to the building immediately activated one of the largest available contiguous industrial spaces near the Port of Savannah, generating employment growth and increased trucking volume in the area, ownership said. The deal reinforced Savannah's position as a leading East Coast logistics gateway and contributed to continued demand from global operators seeking scalable, port-adjacent distribution centers that can serve a rapidly growing Southeast consumer base.
As a result, EQT's transaction with SLM won a CoStar Impact Award as lease of the year in Savannah as judged by local industry professionals.
About the project: The warehouse at 150 Portside Court was built in 2000. In the Port Logistics Center at Crossroads, it is about five miles from the Port of Savannah.
What the judges said: "SLM Global's occupancy will impact not only trucking volume, but also employment and is making a meaningful contribution to absorption in the Savannah industrial market," said Neil Matthee, research manager of Southeast research at Newmark.
“The size and location of this lease make it the best choice. In a year of few, large-sized deals, being able to land this large a deal so close to the port, with so many options, and to structure the lease with the tenant in order to make it work is what makes this so impactful," said Scott Amoson, associate field research director of CBRE.
They made it happen: Todd Carter, managing director, Southeast region, EQT Real Estate; and William Townsend, investment and leasing officer, EQT, served as the listing brokers. Colliers principal Hilary Shipley and Vice Chair Mark Zorn represented the tenant.