CommScope, a North Carolina telecommunications company and one of Catawba County’s largest employers, is halting a long-planned expansion project, according to The Charlotte Observer. 

The fiber-optic manufacturing facility project in the town of Catawba, just north of Charlotte, was projected to cost $60M and bring 250 new jobs to the region, according to a 2023 press release by the North Carolina Department of Commerce.

North Carolina’s Economic Investment Committee also terminated a nearly $2M economic development agreement grant it gave CommScope last summer as an incentive for the project. 

The demise of the expansion, announced Jan. 13, comes about a month after CommScope informed the state it would not reach its local hiring or investment goals.

In a letter, the company placed partial blame on delays in grant funding from the federal Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program, which works to expand high-speed internet access across the country.

The White House updated oversight of the federal grantmaking process in August 2025 through an executive order. Among the changes, the order calls for more oversight by senior government appointees or their designees in awarding grants. The National Association of Development Organizations, a nonprofit supporting regional and local government officials and development organizations, warned that the additional scrutiny may “introduce delays into the grantmaking process.”

CommScope reportedly told the state commerce department that a recent acquisition was another factor for missing hiring and investment goals.

On Jan. 12, the telecommunications company Amphenol Corp. announced the completion of its $10.5B purchase of CommScope’s Connectivity and Cable Solutions business. 

The parts of CommScope’s business that were not folded into the Amphenol merger will be rebranded as Vistance Networks.

WestPark Partners recently bought a Maryland Farms office building that sold last month for a steep discount. The group paid $6.3 million for the five-story WestPark Building at a foreclosure auction last month, marking an $18.57 million loss from what it sold for in 2013. The Nashville Business Journal reports the owner was First National Bank of Tennessee, who acquired the property from Crestview Funds through foreclosure.

The building, located at 111 Westwood Place, was built in 1982 and offers nearly 100,000 square feet of office space on a 5.14-acre lot. It is just a few minutes south of Nashville.

WestPark is rebranding the property, which has been vacant since late 2024, to Westpark Exchange and is in the early planning stages of building renovations.

Westpark Partners is comprised of CET Holdings plus a few additional partners. The group developed the Branch Creek Office Park in Franklin, the boutique hotel Neo Nashville and Seven at 7 Mile Creek Apartments in Nashville.

Student housing owner-operator The Preiss Company (TPCO) has acquired and rebranded Elevate 231, now known as The Collective at Columbia. Terms were not disclosed. Located in Columbia, MO, the 100% occupied property serves students attending the University of Missouri and features 318 units with 972 beds.

TPCO COO Adam Byrley said, “The Collective at Columbia is a premier choice for student living, combining top-tier amenities, thoughtfully designed living spaces and a sense of community that enhances the overall college experience.”

To elevate the property further, TPCO plans to launch a comprehensive interior renovation initiative for approximately 50% of the units. Planned upgrades include the installation of new cabinets, countertops, lighting and flooring, along with modern furniture packages and smart home technology through the installation of key fob entry systems and smart thermostats.

The full-term, interest-only financing for the transaction through a life company was arranged by Newmark’s Ben Roelke and Ian Walker.