Deal of the Year: Nestle USA HQ

Tim Helmig didn’t know who it was or how much space was needed when he was given a day’s notice to pitch his Rosslyn office tower to a prospective tenant under strict orders not to tell anyone about it. He’d recently had lunch with Lou Christopher, and the seasoned commercial real estate broker from CBRE wanted to know if Helmig was finally ready to do a deal at 1812 N. Moore St. The trophy office building was developed speculatively by Monday Properties and remained vacant more than three years later. “It depends,” Helmig said. “If it’s a 1,500-square-foot prospect, probably not.” “So, we were given 24 hours’ notice to put together a presentation,” recalled Helmig, managing partner at Monday Properties. “We weren’t told how big they were, but we were told it would be worth our while.” The mystery tenant, Helmig learned at that introductory building tour, was none other than Nestle USA. The U.S. subsidiary of the global food and beverage company that makes everything from pet food to frozen meals had fixed its gaze on Northern Virginia as part of a headquarters relocation from Glendale, California.