MKM Partners Leases Nearly 15,000 Square Feet At Malkin Properties’ First Stamford Place

February 18, 2010

STAMFORD, Conn. – MKM Partners LLC, an equity trading and research firm, has leased nearly 15,000 square feet of space at 300 First Stamford Place, announces Jeffrey H. Newman, executive vice president of Malkin Properties, the marketing and management agent for the building.

The firm is relocating from nearby Greenwich, and also has offices in Midtown Manhattan and five other cities across the country.

MKM Partners executes trades for institutional investors in the U.S. equities and options markets and in foreign equity markets, and provides clients with economic, technical, and fundamental research services. The firm’s lease is for a term of seven years.

“The high-quality amenity package, superior and stable ownership, and proximity to the Stamford Transportation Center were key factors for my client,” says Newmark Knight Frank’s Brian Carcaterra, who represented MKM Partners. “However, I would be doing the deal a disservice if I did not mention the exceptional proposed office layout to be built by Malkin Construction, the outstanding views of Fairfield County’s financial corridor, and the incomparable value that a long-term relationship with Malkin Properties has to offer.”

“First Stamford Place offers direct accessibility to adjacent interstate highways and mass transit systems, which is vital for those tenants, such as MKM, who maintain an office presence in Manhattan and whose employees and clientele depend upon quick and easy access into and out of Manhattan,” says Mr. Newman. “Companies seeking trophy office space in the Fairfield and Westchester County suburbs appreciate the convenient locations and unmatched quality of our buildings. We are delighted that MKM Partners has decided to join the prestigious First Stamford Place tenant roster.”

Mr. Newman and senior leasing associate Kimberly A. Zaccagnino represented the landlord in this transaction. Brian Carcaterra and Paul Gojkovich of Newmark Knight Frank represented the tenant.

In 2003, First Stamford Place won The Office Building of the Year (TOBY) Award, in the mid-rise suburban office complex category, from the Southern Connecticut Chapter of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA).

First Stamford Place is a three-building, 810,000-square-foot trophy multi-tenanted office complex, located at I-95’s exit 7 adjacent to the Stamford Transportation Center, which has completed a $95 million enhancement program.

The property is also located within Stamford’s Enterprise Zone, a distinction the complex shares with only one other CBD trophy building, Malkin Properties’ Metro Center. Enterprise Zone tenants may qualify for an 80 per cent abatement of real estate and personal property taxes on all leased space and owned/leased machinery and equipment for five years, for a minimum annual savings of $4.65 per square foot, as well as for a 25 percent credit against State of Connecticut corporate income taxes for 10 years.

Malkin Properties’ $8 million property enhancement program at First Stamford Place encompasses fully renovated common corridors, bathrooms, and elevator cabs; tenants-only multimedia conference center with wireless internet access; remodeled fitness center; remodeled and expanded dining facility; relocated and expanded sundry shop; improved interior and exterior directional and identification signage; landscaping enhancements and installation of an energy management system.

Building features include:
· tenants-only shuttle van service to and from the Stamford Transportation Center and shopping areas;
· secured structured parking garage within the buildings with 24-hour card access;
· Bright Horizons day-care center;
· an auto “spa” offering basic car wash to full-detail servicing;
· courier and express mail drop boxes;
· barber and newsstand/sundry shops;
· two ATMs;
· on-site management office;
· concierge service and 24/7 on-site security;
· comprehensive broadband telecommunications, including fiber and T-1 line networks, with tenants having several choices of telecom providers; and
· elevator cab monitors posting news/weather/sports/stock quote updates.

The newly renovated Hilton Stamford Hotel, a 500-room luxury hotel with the largest banquet facilities in Fairfield County, is located directly adjacent to the property.

Other Malkin properties in Fairfield County are: Metro Center, a 280,000-square-foot property, located within Stamford’s Enterprise Zone, at the Stamford Transportation Center; and MerrittView, a 255,000-square-foot office building located at the Merritt Parkway’s exit 40.

Malkin properties in neighboring Westchester County are: Ten Bank Street, a 225,000-square-foot, 12-story office building located in White Plains, one block from the White Plains Transportation Center; and 500 Mamaroneck Avenue, a five-story, 285,000-square-foot multi-tenant office building located in the busy I-287 East submarket in Harrison.

The company’s portfolio of suburban office buildings totals 1.85 million square feet of prime space in Westchester County, NY and in Fairfield County, CT.

Malkin Properties provides full turn-key deal-making and management services, including marketing, lease negotiations, design, construction, management and cleaning services, all performed in-house. Broker commissions are paid in full upon lease execution. The firm is committed to sustainable property operations and development, including energy efficiency, water use reduction, waste and recycling and indoor environmental quality initiatives.

Malkin Properties is the real estate management, marketing and acquisition arm of the Malkin family, which has commercial and residential operations in seven states.