Merritt Properties Signs Full-Building Lease at Ashbrook Business Park  

Hanley Energy Plans Fourth Expansion in Five Years Due to Data Center Boom 

Merritt Properties, a full-service commercial real estate company with developments throughout Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina, announced today that Hanley Energy has signed a full-building lease for Ashbrook 10. The new 36,600-square-foot light industrial building will be located on Russell Branch Parkway near Route 7 in Loudoun County. The move marks Hanley’s fourth expansion with Merritt since leasing a 3,500-square-foot warehouse bay when the Ireland-based company first entered the U.S. market in 2016. 

Adjacent to Merritt’s Ashbrook business park, the 6.7-acre building site was purchased by Merritt in late 2020 with plans to build a speculative light industrial building. At the same time, Hanley Energy, an award-winning provider of critical power and energy monitoring products to the data center industry, was planning to invest $10 million in its U.S. manufacturing and assembly operations.  

To accommodate the additional production and workforce, Hanley Energy needed to expand its Virginia facility, selecting Merritt’s Ashbrook 10 to serve as its new North American headquarters.  

“Deciding to base our North American Headquarters in Loudoun, Virginia was a global strategy choice,” according to Clive Gilmore, CEO and co-founder of Hanley Energy. “This dynamic economic hub attracts a range of international businesses and multinational corporations; all of whom are looking to capitalize on the surging growth of the Digital Innovation Sector. Loudoun’s strong governance, conducive business environment and proximity to international travel has allowed Hanley Energy to fill international and regional roles with world-class talent and firmly underscores a unique platform for Direct Foreign Investment.” 

The Loudoun region is known as one of the top data center markets in the world. According to the Loudoun County Department of Economic Development, the county’s Data Center Alley is home to more than 3,500 technology companies and over 18 million square feet of data center development. In addition, more than 70 percent of the world’s internet traffic passes through Loudoun’s digital infrastructure.  

In addition to expanding its U.S. footprint, Hanley Energy’s new Ashburn facility will allow the company to expand its workforce to more than 200 local employees and enhance its roster of services to include R&D, electrical and mechanical design and electrical testing, with NETA certification expected in early 2022. The company plans to hire 50 new employees for the Ashburn location by the end of 2021 and an additional 120 by the end of 2022. Primarily, the new positions will be technical jobs in the fields of electrical engineering, design engineering, manufacturing and electrical testing. 

“The Merritt team truly understand the needs of foreign direct investment businesses expanding into North America,” said Gilmore. “Merritt successfully and efficiently managed every minute detail of Hanley Energy’s turnkey office build, and as our company has continued to grow, Merritt has facilitated seamless expansion four times.” 

Construction, which is slated to begin in June, will be managed by Merritt Construction Services, the construction division of Merritt Companies. The building is scheduled to deliver in Q1 2022. 

“It has been an honor to partner with Hanley Energy as they have established their roots here in the U.S. and built a tremendous reputation in the market,” said Scott Longendyke of Merritt’s Virginia office. “The growth they’ve experienced is clearly a testament to their character as a company, as well as their products and service. We are proud to be a part of their story.”