Hughes Breaks Ground On New 140,000SF Building on Montgomery College Germantown Campus

In August we let you know of a joint-venture between Minkoff Development and South Duvall signing a lease with Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) to build a 140,000 square foot build-to-suit project on Montgomery College’s Germantown Campus. The Hughes Network Systems Sattelite Production Facility broke ground on Monday and will be bringing approximately 300 jobs to Germantown, according to Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce CEO, Marilyn Balcombe.

The campus currently is home to the Pinkney Innovation Complex for Science and Technology at Montgomery College (PIC MC) with Holy Cross Germantown Hospital as its anchor tenant. Located at 19710 Observation Drive in Germantown, Maryland, adjacent to the Hughes headquarters complex (11717 Exploration Lane), the new high-tech manufacturing building will house production of Hughes satellite broadband and networking equipment.

““This new facility reflects our long-standing commitment to Montgomery County, as a local employer and business leader for more than 50 years and will help Hughes advance our mission of connecting the unconnected around the world with innovative satellite and networking solutions,” said Jim Muir, III, vice president, corporate real estate at Hughes. “We look forward to inviting students from PIC MC to learn and grow with us and continuing to engage with the community where so many of our employees live and work.

Minkoff Development and South Duvall responded to an RFP from PIC MC in 2018 and the joint venture was awarded the exclusive development rights and long-term ground lease for the 5.67-acre parcel on the Montgomery CollegeGermantown campus and located within a RISE & Opportunity zone. “Hughes is a world-class provider of satellite and networking technologies with a long history in Montgomery County, Maryland,” said Andy Chod, Co-President of Minkoff Development. “We are thrilled to be able to support their continued success in our local community and around the world.”

As part of the arrangement, Hughes and Montgomery College (MC) will continue to collaborate on training and educational initiatives. “Montgomery College is proud to be partnering with Hughes on this innovative venture. Together we can contribute even more to building the pipeline of talented, highly skilled workers at the MC Germantown Campus,” said Dr. Jermaine F. Williams, president of Montgomery College. “We look forward to collaborating with Hughes to ensure that our students gain the skills they need to be competitive in the rapidly evolving workforce.”

“We are excited about this mutually beneficial partnership with Hughes, where students will have the opportunity to interact with technology industry professionals on a regular basis. This transaction is the first of many anticipated collaborations between PIC MC, the real estate development community and technology companies at Montgomery College where we are creating an integrated academic, business, and research campus to inspire the next generation of technology industry leaders,” said Michael Smith, Executive Director, Pinkney Innovation Complex for Science and Technology (PIC MC).

“South Duvall is fortunate to have excellent partners on this project,” said Matthew Brown of South Duvall. “With Montgomery College providing an ideal location, Minkoff leading the development efforts, and Scheer Partners marketing and leasing the project, we had a huge advantage over our competition. The design is underway, and we expect to break ground in August, aiming for occupancy in fall of 2023.” Scheer Partners, Henry Bernstein, Matt Brady, and Aaron Gambini led the building’s leasing efforts, and Kevin Wille, Nadia Kahler, and Brad Wilner with CBRE represented Hughes