Capitol Percussion + Backline Rentals signs lease with St. John Properties, Inc. for 8,900 square feet of space within 150-acre business community; will relocate its headquarters and build new rehearsal spaces near the University of Maryland campus

BALTIMORE, MD (August 24, 2021) – Jauvon Gilliam founded Capitol Percussion + Backline Rentals (CP+B) in 2014. He also serves as Artist-in-Residence at the University of Maryland at College Park and Principal Timpanist of the National Symphony Orchestra. Addressing the continued growth of CP+B, the Washington D.C.-based company leased 8,900 square feet of space with St. John Properties, Inc. at 5650 Rivertech Court at The Discovery District. With six full-time employees, the group intends to relocate to the business community located adjacent to the University of Maryland campus. Claire Cobert of St. John Properties represented the landlord and Judi Garrett and Bobby Kauffman, agents with the Meta Commercial Team within the Long and Foster Commercial Division represented the client in this lease transaction.

CP+B is an instrument rental company which provides high-quality musical instruments and related stage essentials to artists, performing arts venues, and organizations throughout the greater Baltimore and Washington, D.C. region. Their inventory includes more than 550 individual drums, 30 complete drum sets, over 100 keyboards and more than 100 bass and guitar amplifiers. The product line also includes equipment such as concert and marching percussion, and DJ gear to suit nearly every specialized assignment.

Gilliam originally began looking for a larger warehouse space to house the company’s equipment; that quickly turned into a search for an expanded facility that fulfilled a larger vison.

“Throughout the process, while assessing our core business storage needs with the intent to expand into something completely different, we realized an old, dimly-lit warehouse space would not serve our new purpose,” Gilliam explained. “We have a fantastic team here at CP+B. I wanted to take that culture and build on it, and create an inviting, functional space where artists can feed off of each other — it’s in those collaborative moments where the magic truly happens. Little did I know that the perfect space was right under my nose near the University of Maryland the entire time.”

“We realized that typical warehouses were not going to work for this project, as only a modern facility would check every important box,” explained Judi Garrett of the Meta Commercial Team within Long and Foster. “Our familiarity with The Discovery District, the availability of St. John Properties’ in-house resources to expedite the space planning and construction management schedules, and its location close to where Jauvon spends considerable time, elevated our confidence in the business community as the ideal choice.”

Gilliam has named the new space “The Shed,” and intends to make the space attractive to the all musical genres, including classical, rock, opera and hip-hop. In addition to housing CP+B’s massive inventory, The Shed will have four professionally soundproofed, interconnected flex studios used for rehearsals, recordings, livestreams, private lessons, practice space, photography shoots, interviews and podcasts. There will also be office space, a control room for the large studio, green room and a break room. “When finished, this will be a proverbial candy store for musicians — almost any piece of equipment they could ever want to use will be at their disposal,” Gilliam added. “I love owning and running a business that is directly related to my career, and The Shed will allow CP+B to run much more efficiently, while also providing an inviting space for local artists and musicians to hone, showcase and create their craft. I truly believe The Shed will evolve into something special.”

Throughout his career, Gilliam has performed all over the world and has worked with major artists from every genre. After switching from piano to percussion in college, he won the position in the National Symphony in 2009, and for the past eleven years has been associated with the University of Maryland’s School of Music as Artist-in-Residence/Co-director of Percussion.

St. John Properties has developed nearly 160,000 square feet of space within the 150-acre business community at The Discovery District including 5650 Rivertech Court, a 57,120 square foot flex/R&D building, and 5751 Rivertech Court, a 50,170 square foot flex/R&D building. The park is located less than one mile south of the University of Maryland, College Park campus in Prince George’s County.

5650 Rivertech Court features 16-foot ceiling heights, dock and drive-in loading capabilities, free parking on adjacent surface parking lots and data connectivity to ISP providers via fiber backbone within the infrastructure of the business community. The building is also located less than four miles from MD Route 295 and seven miles from Interstate 95. Downtown Washington, D.C. is approximately ten miles from the site and the College Park Metro/MARC Station is within walking distance.

Also contained within the community is the College Park Academy, a public charter school; and The Art Walk, an outdoor public gathering area offering food trucks, art and creative seating areas. The Hall CP, which opened in early 2020, combines dining options, arts, entertainment, and a teaching kitchen and performance space. In addition to retail offerings, the adjacent Riverdale Park Station will include nearly 1,000 residential units.

“We’re excited to welcome Jauvon’s new facility at The Discovery District,” explained Sean Doordan, Executive President, Leasing & Acquisitions for St. John Properties. “This innovative concept represents another example of the flexibility of our flex/R&D product, as well as the opportunities generated by the Discovery District’s synergy and proximity to the University of Maryland.”

Founded in 1971 and headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, St. John Properties, Inc. is one of the Mid-Atlantic’s largest privately held commercial real estate firms. The company is distinguished by its commitment to customer service, achievements in green building, and top-rated workplace culture. Throughout St. John Properties’ 50-year history, the company has developed more than 21 million square feet of flex/R&D, Office, Retail and Warehouse space serving more than 2,500 clients in Maryland, Colorado, Louisiana, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Utah, and Wisconsin. For more information about the company, visit sjp.mu9b0uf9-liquidwebsites.com.