All three concepts expected to open at 130-acre mixed-use business community developed by St. John Properties, Inc. in early 2024

PLEASANT GROVE, UT (December 18, 2023) – MilkShake Factory, Shamrock Coffee, and Club Pilates have signed separate leases with St. John Properties, Inc. for a combined 5,221 square feet of space at Valley Grove, a mixed-use business community located in Pleasant Grove, Utah. All three concepts are expected to open within the 130-acre development, located directly adjacent to both Interstate 15 and Pleasant Grove Boulevard, in early 2024. 

Originating from Pittsburgh, MilkShake Factory is a premium dessert destination serving handspun milkshakes produced with housemade ice cream and chocolates crafted by 4^th generation chocolatiers. According to franchise owner Micah Paul Keith, the Pleasant Grove location represents the concept’s first location outside its home state of Pennsylvania, and will employ approximately 20 workers. Menu items include milkshakes, sundaes, and premium chocolates. Gourmet shake flavors include chocolate dipped strawberry, peanut butter brownie, salted caramel pretzel, cookie dough fudge, and mint cookies & cream. The chocolate bar section includes almond or cookie bark, the founder’s family salted caramels, and chocolate covered strawberries.

“People in Utah love their milkshakes and, using a proprietary vanilla ice cream, the flavor profile of these products will be unlike any other available in the region,” explained Keith, who has made a career in brand management. “I know the founding family and leadership of MilkShake Factory, and their work to perfect their ice cream and chocolate recipes over multiple generations, and believe Valley Grove is the ideal location for our inaugural franchise. MilkShake Factory will be the perfect ending for a great lunch or dinner, and our location directly off I-15 in the heart of Utah County makes it easily accessible to everyone. We were also attracted to the business community’s proximity to family fun attractions, which will make a delicious ending to a fun evening at Evermore Park, The Grid, Airborne, or Alcatraz Escape Games.”

Entrepreneur Sara Robbins, who currently works in psychology as a Behavior Analyst in the Utah area, intends to open Shamrock Coffee in mid-January. The coffee shop will offer specialty coffee and tea drinks, including dessert bars and menu items such as pearl sugar Belgian waffles. “Drive-through locations are incredibly hard to come by, so we jumped at the opportunity to lease space at Valley Grove when this amenity was offered,” Robbins said. “Business people and local consumers find comfort in a familiar coffee shop where people know their name as well as their tastes in food and drink. We intend to differentiate ourselves in that regard and build a loyal following. The diversity of Valley Grove, with its mix of office space and future residential units, as well as the nearby neighborhoods, made this the perfect landing spot for us,” Robbins added.

Jay Blacker and Jon Walter of NAI Excel represented The MilkShake Factory. 

Club Pilates, a specialty fitness studio, is expected to open in February in Valley Grove, becoming franchise owner Matt McLaughlin’s fifth location in Utah, joining sites in Bountiful, Layton, Park City and South Ogden. Part of the Xponential Fitness brand, Club Pilates offers a variety of class types, schedules, and membership packages to address the needs of a diverse audience. Exercises focus on precise movements, breathing control, and the utilization of light weights to benefit the abdominals, hips, thighs, back and arms. Classes are offered in reformer flow, cardio sculpt, restore and high-intensity training among others. Colliers International’s Mariko Mimnaugh represented the tenant.

“As a boutique fitness concept, it is important to choose locations with favorable demographics, and we found that and more at Valley Grove,” stated McLaughlin. “This development has among the most impressive plans we have seen in the Utah area, and we feel very fortunate to be coming here. We can promise an extremely intense and highly productive workout for our members.” 

St. John Properties’ investment in Valley Grove is expected to surpass $1.2 billion upon final build-out. The mixed-use community is configured to support more than 1.5 million square feet of Class ‘A’ commercial office space, as well as retail, restaurants, and a full-service hotel. The business community currently features Grove Tower, a six-story building containing nearly 190,000 square feet of office space; Valley Grove I, a six-story, 165,000 square foot building; Valley Grove II and Valley Grove III, two five-story buildings comprising 140,000 square feet of space each.  Earlier this year, St. John Properties revealed plans for the Phase VI portion of Valley Grove, a 47-acre addition featuring commercial office and retail space, as well as luxury residential product.  

Existing restaurants and retailers at Valley Grove include AT&T, Café Rio, Da Cloud Boba Shoppe, Jersey Mike’s Subs, Kolache Krave, R&R BBQ, Starbucks Coffee, Slim Chickens, Verizon, and Village Baker. A 34,000 square foot Tesla dealership is also contained within the business community.      

More than 187,000 vehicles pass Valley Grove via Interstate 15 on a daily basis, with an additional 60,000 vehicles driving by the site each day from Pleasant Grove Boulevard. The business community is situated 12 miles from Provo, 25 miles from Interstate 215, 35 miles from Salt Lake City, and less than 40 miles from Salt Lake International Airport.  

“Our goal has been to target and successfully attract compelling new restaurant and retail uses that best serve our stakeholders and audiences within Valley Grove, as well as the surrounding neighborhood,” explained Scott Gifford, Director of Leasing. “These latest entries inject energy and freshness into our tenant mix, will entice new audiences to visit the business community, and provide day-to-day options for Valley Grove tenants and its employees. Each of these new retailers add tremendous value to our business community.”       

Founded in 1971, St. John Properties, Inc. is one of the nation’s largest and most successful 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’ 52-year history, the company has developed more than 23 million square feet of flex/R&D, office, retail, and warehouse space, and has investments in over 3,000 residential units. Expanding regionally in five Utah communities, St. John Properties recognizes the State’s economic strength, pro-business climate, quality of life, and projected growth. The company proudly serves more than 2,500 clients in Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Utah, and Wisconsin. For more information about the company, visit www.sjpi.com.