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COPPELL, TEXAS — Allstate has signed a 53,043-square-foot office lease in Coppell, located in the northern-central part of the metroplex. The space is located within the 1,000-acre Cypress Waters mixed-use development. Ryan Buchanan of CBRE represented the insurance giant, which plans to take occupancy of its new space next June, in the lease negotiations. Billingsley Co. owns Cypress Waters.

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Real estate firm to focus on its existing office space, sells three-building campus at International Business Park. A mixed-use development that has been a corporate magnet in North Texas has landed a flurry of new office leases as it plans to focus on its existing office space amid the sector’s challenges.

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Lightbeam Health Solutions has relocated to a new 33,000-square-foot headquarters space in Cypress Waters.

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Dallas-based Fogo de Chão, the churrascuria-style restaurant originally from Brazil, is opening a new location in the Dallas area. According to a release, the chain will open a restaurant in North Irving, at Cypress Waters, the 1,000-acre master-planned development at the corner of Ranch Trail and LBJ Freeway.

Located along the shores of North Lake within Cypress Waters — the 1,000-acre waterfront dining, retail, and entertainment destination from Billingsley Co. — the restaurant is slated to open at 3080 Ranch Trail later this year.

Fogo has been headquartered in Dallas since the opening of its first U.S. location in Addison in 1997.

North Irving was considered an ideal location due to its thriving business sector, including numerous corporate headquarters and a bustling convention center, attracting both visitors and residents. The location will comprise 8,500 square feet and showcase a recent brand transformation, including an expansive dining room centered around an open-air churrasco grill, with views of gaucho chefs butchering, hand carving, and grilling meats over an open flame.

Meats are served tableside, carved by gaucho chefs. There are also dry-aged and Wagyu cuts, seafood a la carte, All-Day Happy Hour, a South American wine list, and a menu of smaller, sharable plates in Bar Fogo.

A white Carrera marble Market Table anchored at the front of the grill features a trademark salad bar with salads, cured meats, and antipasti.

Dry-aged meat lockers for in-house aging will display indulgent cuts such as a 32-ounce Long-Bone Tomahawk Ribeye, aged for a minimum of 42 days.

North Irving will be the fourth location in DFW, following Addison, Uptown, and Plano, which are open for weekday lunch, weekend Brazilian brunch, Bar Fogo, group and private dining, plus to-go and butcher shop options.

“Since opening our first U.S. restaurant in Addison 26 years ago, the Dallas community has warmly welcomed our brand and our authentic dining experience,” says Fogo de Chao CEO Barry McGowan in a statement. “Our founders expanding the brand from Brazil to Dallas in 1997 was no small feat and our success in the U.S. has laid the foundation for our global growth ever since. We’re excited to continue our expansion in the DFW area with a new location in North Irving and aim to give our guests the same experience of discovery that they have come to know us for in a new, elevated setting.”

Lucy Burns, Partner at Billingsley Co. adds, “We are delighted that Fogo de Chão has chosen Cypress Waters to further enhance its robust presence in North Texas. The introduction of Fogo de Chão’s immersive dining experience is a remarkable and invaluable addition to the Waterfront development.”

Fogo has opened or signed on 12 new domestic and international leases including Quito, Ecuador; Lynnwood, Washington; National Harbor, Maryland; Woodland Hills, California; and Paramus, New Jersey, as well as plans to enter Turkey and Bolivia.

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It’s hard to miss the Cypress Waters sign as you turn onto Olympus Blvd in Coppell. One of at least twenty Live-Work-Play communities being built in the Dallas region—it blends the area’s natural resources with modern brick buildings that are home to apartments and offices.

On the ground floor of one of those buildings, with a view of North Lake, is Avantor Lab Design & Furniture, delivered by VWR. It moved into this facility in March 2023 from Irving, where it had been for 25 years.

“During the pandemic the Irving office closed, and we used that time to reimagine what our workspace should look like,” said Matthew Maybury, furniture specialist. “We’ve created a space that supports innovation and functions as a showroom—it’s the first-of-its-kind for lab furniture in the Metroplex.”

An innovative space for a growing need

Gopi Thakker—whose role is part account management, part business development—is heading up the remodel of Avantor’s new location. She says clients run the gamut from knowing exactly what they want, to just having a budget and a general idea.

“Sometimes people come in looking for something specific, like a sink with a knee space. Other times, they want a whole laboratory makeover, and need everything from ideas to installation” said Thakker.

Avantor’s Lab Design and Furniture sales specialist team is complemented by designers, estimators, project managers and project coordinators—and has a reputation for quality and service. Thakker and Maybury think this is part of why Avantor kept the name, when it acquired VWR six years ago.

Already a major player in the life sciences industry, Avantor had a presence in biopharma, education, government, and applied materials. With the acquisition of VWR in 2017, they gained expertise in lab furniture—Thakker thinks the Dallas region itself also made the deal attractive.

“Real estate costs are more reasonable compared to other big cities on the coasts; life sciences is a growing industry; and DFW is home to several big health systems—plus the region has a ready supply of well-educated talent,” she said.

Serving diverse industries

Avantor’s client base taps them for products such as carts and drawers, to million-dollar renovations.

“I could be on the phone with a professor at Harvard and then my next call is a guy who’s been harvesting weed all day out in Colorado—and they’re both talking about the same thing,” said Maybury

They both need to equip lab space with things like workstations, fume hoods, and bio-safety cabinets.

The new showroom/design center in Cypress Waters can be toured by appointment, and Avantor will continue to do virtual demonstrations as well—a Covid holdover.