An optical cable dealer will benefit from the surge in data center development with a billion-dollar deal that will expand its North Carolina manufacturing. 

Corning Inc. will boost its optical cable manufacturing presence in North Carolina through a $6B data center deal with Meta Platforms Inc., the Charlotte Business Journal reported.

The multiyear deal, which spans through 2030, aims to provide specialized cable to facilitate data center development for Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. 

Corning CEO and Chairman Wendell P. Weeks said in a press release that the investment will significantly expand the company’s footprint across North Carolina and boost its headcount in the state by 15% to 20%.

“Together with Meta, we’re strengthening domestic supply chains and helping ensure that advanced data centers are built using U.S. innovation and advanced manufacturing,” Weeks said.

In October 2025, Corning announced it would expand at its 378-acre cable plant at the Trivium Corporate Center in Hickory, an hour northwest of Charlotte in Catawba County. When Corning announced the Hickory expansion, it stated investment would total between $170M and $268M.

Corning’s plans will reportedly make its Hickory facility the largest fiber-optic plant in the world.

In addition to the Hickory plant, Corning has manufacturing plants in Newton, Concord, Wilmington and Winston-Salem.

Shares of Corning, which have reportedly risen more than 75% in the past year, rose 16% on Jan. 27th with news of the deal to close to reach a new 52-week high of  $110.

Meta announced in November it would commit to spending $600B on data centers and infrastructure in the U.S. by 2028. 

The company’s two largest data center clusters currently under construction are the 1-gigawatt Prometheus site in Ohio and the 5-gigawatt Hyperion site in Louisiana. Both will feature Corning fiber-optic cable, CNBC reported.

 JLL announced that Casey Zejdlik will join the firm as a Senior Director in its Investment Sales and Advisory private capital multi-housing team.

Zejdlik’s extensive expertise and successful track record will further enhance JLL’s capabilities in the multi-housing investment sector. With over 19 years of experience, Zejdlik has completed more than 290 transactions, including nearly 50 1031 exchanges.

“We’re excited to welcome Casey to our team,” said Corey Marx, Senior Managing Director. “His depth of knowledge and experience in multi-family real estate investment will be an asset to our private capital clients.”

Previously, Zejdlik co-founded and served as an advisor at Pilot Ventures and has held senior roles at Northmarq and CPX. Prior to his real estate career, he spent six years as a Nuclear Engineer in the Navy. Zejdlik holds a Bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Engineering Technology and is a recipient of two Navy Achievement Medals.

LRT Company, an opportunistic development firm, acquired 12.38 acres of land in the Providence, RI suburb of Coventry, where it plans to develop Tiffany Laurel Reserve, a 204-unit senior housing campus. The firm completed its acquisition of the property to develop the $65-million senior housing campus project after receiving final site approval and all associated entitlements, which took more than three years to complete.

Groundbreaking on Tiffany Laurel Reserve, located off the New London Turnpike, is expected next summer. The senior housing campus will include 127 independent living units and 77 assisted living and memory care units. Approximately 25% of the independent living units will be reserved for low-income seniors.

“LRT Company is excited to expand into Rhode Island with our new senior housing project, which has been over three years in the making,” said Lawrence LaBonte, founder and CEO. “We are thankful to the city and state for working with us to earn entitlements for the project, and glad to be a part of the solution of limited housing supply available to mid- to low-market seniors.” 

BioMed Realty, a Blackstone portfolio company, said Wednesday it had executed a lease amendment with Xaira Therapeutics, a leading AI-driven drug discovery company. Xaira Therapeutics is expanding its headquarters from its current 56,233-square-foot space at BioMed Realty’s Gateway of Pacific III campus, located at 700 Gateway Blvd. in South San Francisco, to a total of 73,075 square feet at the same location. 

The expansion reflects growing demand for Class A life science facilities in the Bay Area and supports Xaira’s rapid growth as a leader in AI-driven drug discovery, according to BioMed. The space will serve as a foundation for advancing Xaira’s machine-learning research and therapeutic product development, reinforcing the Bay Area’s status as a global hub for biotech and technology innovation. 

“Xaira’s new facility at BioMed Realty’s Gateway of Pacific III campus creates a collaborative and inviting space to focus on critical work that has the potential to reshape the drug development landscape through the use of AI,” said Uplaksh Kumar of Xaira. 

Hilco Real Estate (HRE) has made a significant expansion of its real estate receivership practice. The Northbrook, IL-based firm hired Matthew Mason as SVP, and he brings a team with him to HRE.

Mason joins HRE with 24 years of experience in real estate and fiduciary services. His background includes assisting institutional clients, lenders, and private investors with distressed real estate and serving as a court-appointed receiver for more than 200 retail, office, multifamily, industrial, hotel, and mixed-use projects.

Joining him at HRE are Andrew Streeter, who specializes in asset management of distressed assets through the takeover and disposition process; Robert Jones, a 20-year veteran of asset management, property management, leasing, negotiation and disposition; and Spencer Ruberti, who has more than 15 years of experience in commercial real estate, specializing in distressed assets and court-appointed receiverships.

“We are thrilled to welcome Matt to the Receivership group at HRE,” said Neil Aaronson, CEO at HRE, “With Matt’s extensive industry expertise and proven track record, we are confident that he and his team will offer a tremendous resource to our clients, securing, maintaining and right-sizing operations for individual real estate assets and portfolios.”

Pictured: Matthew Mason.

Lion Real Estate Group acquired Bradford Woods, a 312-unit multifamily property in Nashville. The latest purchase increases the company’s stake in the Nashville market to five and brings its multifamily portfolio to 26 communities across five states. They will re-brand the property as “The Grove Brentwood” and begin revamping the asset.

Lion’s Ben Kriegsman said, “The Grove will see a complete renovation program, inside and out. We are planning to completely overhaul the leasing office/clubhouse, gym, pool area, and all the other on-site amenities. Each of the unit interiors will undergo premium renovations to include stainless-steel appliances, quartz countertops, upgraded lighting, along with other interior upgrades.”

The community is located at 5242 Edmondson Pike. Lion said it secured the assumption of a Fannie Mae loan at a strong leverage point.

Lion is focused on acquiring value-add and opportunistic multifamily properties targeting marketing such as Nashville, Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham, Phoenix and Austin. 

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. said Tuesday that a top 20 pharmaceutical company and longstanding credit tenant has increased its San Diego footprint by nearly 53%. The tenant has signed a 10-year lease for 127,382 square feet, with significant expansion options, for a new R&D center at 10075 Barnes Canyon Rd. on the SD Tech by Alexandria mega campus in the Sorrento Mesa submarket of San Diego. 

With this anchor lease, the 253,079-square-foot development, which is targeting LEED Gold Core & Shell and Fitwel certifications, is now 70% leased ahead of its anticipated initial delivery in 2025. The lease also brings Alexandria’s 1.2-million-square-foot pipeline of under-construction mega campus development projects in San Diego to 94% leased.

Having entered the San Diego market in June 1994, Alexandria has been a key player in the development, expansion and transformation of the region into one of the nation’s top life science clusters. As of this past March, its operational San Diego portfolio was 95.2% occupied.

Imagine Me Leadership Charter School is expanding to a new 63,000-square-foot campus in Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood. The school signed a 30-year lease at 39 Truxton Street, where it will occupy the entire building. This move will allow the school to double its enrollment and transition to a co-ed model. 

The new campus, facilitated by tenant brokers Open Impact Real Estate, will feature amenities like a double-height gymnasium, outdoor playgrounds, a cafeteria, and an auditorium. The lease marks a significant milestone for the school, which has been planning for a new facility for many years. 

The tenant was represented by Stephen Powers, Lindsay Ornstein, and Jake Cinti of Open, while Steve Nadel and Nechama Liberow of Pinnacle Realty of New York negotiated on behalf of the landlord. Founded in 2011, Imagine Me Leadership Charter School will begin transitioning to its new campus during the 2024-2025 school year. 

SITE Centers has spun off the Johns Creek Town Center, a 303,297-square-foot retail center in Suwanee. Big V Property Group and Equity Street Capital purchased the property.

Johns Creek Town Center is Big V’s fifth acquisition in Georgia. The North Carolina-based firm also owns community centers in Brunswick, Cornelia, Loganville and Griffin.

CommercialEdge reports that Johns Creek Town Center came online in 2000 on a 30.3-acre site. The five-building retail center features tenants from clothing, grocery and department stores, including Market by Macy’s, HomeGoods, Sprouts, Ulta Beauty, Michael’s, Sketchers and PetSmart. Downtown Atlanta is 25 miles to the southwest.

Big V says it’s a vertically integrated commercial real estate company with over 80 years of experience. The company has 56 centers in 14 states.

Cushman & Wakefield has facilitated a lease expansion for Callen-Lorde Community Health Center at 3144 Third Avenue in the Bronx. The primary care center has expanded its space from 2,903 square feet to 12,916 square feet, now occupying the entire ground and second floors.  

Carri Lyon and Jenna Catalon of Cushman & Wakefield represented the tenant, while David Lebenstein represented the landlord, BOOM! Community Services. The property recently underwent a capital improvement project, including new windows and renovated office spaces.  

“Expanding Callen-Lorde’s footprint in the Bronx will enable us to meet the growing demand for LGBTQ+ affirming medical and behavioral health in the borough,” said Patrick McGovern, CEO of Callen-Lorde Community Health Center. “For 55 years Callen-Lorde has been a leading authority in LGBTQ+ healthcare and as the needs of our community continue to grow–so will we.”