The Portland Fire and Portland Thorns ownership is expanding its lease at the Evergreen Corporate Center.
PORTLAND, Ore. — This story comes from the Portland Business Journal, a KGW News partner. The full story is here.
RAJ Sports is growing its Portland presence at a former Nike office space in Hillsboro.
The sports investment company that owns the Portland Fire and Portland Thorns announced Friday it is expanding its lease from 60,000 square feet to around 90,000 square feet at the Evergreen Corporate Center.
RAJ has been the anchor tenant since it signed a 15-year lease agreement last year to turn two office buildings into a dual-sport professional women’s performance center and practice facility for the Thorns and Fire.
The expanded office lease aligns with the practice facility lease, which runs through February 2040, according to RAJ.
“This is a $150 million investment in the future of women’s sports, and making sure our business operations team is housed within that environment wasn’t just a practical decision, it was an intentional one,” Mike Whitehead, managing director of RAJ Sports, said in a statement. “We want everyone building this organization, on the field and off, working side by side in a facility that sets a new standard for what women’s sports infrastructure can look like.”
RAJ will take over 29,000 square feet on the first floor of a building at 8760 N.E. Evergreen Pkwy. The company said in a statement that more than 200 people will work at the location with additional seasonal and other support staff working there as well.
The move-in process will be staggered as various parts of the facility come online. The performance center is expected to be open by the third quarter of the year. The business offices will open soon after.
There is an additional 75,000 square feet available in the building, which will be available to other tenants. Another building in the corporate park, adjacent to the RAJ space, has between 45,000 and 91,000 square feet available for tenants.
“Being a strong partner to our tenants and creating the adaptive property solutions that meet their unique needs remains our top priority,” Roger Thomas, President and COO of the property’s owner Workspace Property Management said in a statement. “Our leasing momentum remains strong throughout our premier suburban office portfolio and we are energized by what’s on our horizon.”
The RAJ expansion comes a year after developers broke ground on the dual-sport performance center, training facility and soccer fields for the Thorns and Fire.
