WHITE MARSH/MIDDLE RIVER, MD—Hatzel & Buehler, Inc., recognized as the oldest operating electrical contracting company in the United States, has doubled the amount of space leased with St. John Properties, Inc. to more than 20,000 square feet at Greenleigh in White Marsh/Middle River.

The company, which was started in 1884 and whose founders worked with Thomas Edison, has now expanded twice in the past year at 11695 Crossroads Circle, a single-story flex/R&D building. Beginning in early 2021, approximately 30 employees will work in the building. Angelo Munafo and Matt Lenihan of St. John Properties represented the landlord, and Daniel Gummel of PernaFrederick represented Hatzel & Buehler in this transaction.

Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, the company operates regional offices in eight states, and offers a full complement of electrical design, construction, engineering, integration and maintenance services. Co-founders Joseph Buehler and John Hatzel worked alongside Thomas Edison on an electric generating station in New York City in 1882 and, two years later, formed the company. Hatzel & Buehler handles the full-service electrical contracting needs for companies operating in the commercial data center, healthcare, industrial, petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries, among others.

In 2020, the company acquired the assets and contracts of two companies that served to drive corporate growth and stimulate the need for expanded office space. Last summer, Hatzel & Buehler purchased Enterprise Electric Company, a company active in the greater Baltimore metropolitan region since 1928. In November, the company’s subsidiary Bluestone Communications acquired Beech Tree Network, which specializes in copper and fiber optic structured cabling, wireless solutions and outside plant construction.

“We were initially attracted to Greenleigh based on its Northern Baltimore location which places us within close proximity to our hospital and university clients that we regularly service, as well as our Wilmington, Delaware offices,” explained Tim Sauter, Vice President of Hatzel & Buehler. “The building provides us with the flexibility we need to house equipment, commercial vehicles and office staff, and our employees particularly like the suburban setting of Greenleigh. They feel safe here and can be regularly found enjoying nature and walking on the paths that wind through the community. This environment is extremely conducive to taking a mental break from the workday and recharging. In addition, no one is complaining about sharing a building with a brewing company.”

Last year, Pooles Island Brewing Company opened a brewing operation, tap room and outdoor terrace at 11695 Crossroads Circle. The building is equipped with 18-foot ceiling heights and dock or drive-in loading options, and has earned LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for its sustainability and energy conservation features.

“Hatzel & Buehler is indicative of the many clients in our portfolio seeking additional space in response to continued growth,” explained Sean Doordan, Senior Vice President of Leasing and Acquisitions for St. John Properties. “Our mission to consistently maintain an inventory of speculative space throughout our portfolio provides clients with the ability to seamlessly expand without disrupting operations.”

St. John Properties, together with partner Somerset Construction Company, are the developers of Greenleigh, a 1,000-acre mixed-use business community in the Middle River section of Baltimore County. On completion, Greenleigh will include 1,900 residential units including single-family homes, townhomes and multifamily units, and nearly two million square feet of office and flex/R&D space. In total, the development will support more than 2.5 million square feet of commercial, retail and hospitality space.