BALTIMORE, MD (July 28, 2014) – – St. John Properties, Inc. has signed DRS Technologies to leases totaling 15,000 square feet within The Government and Technology Enterprise (The GATE at APG) project, representing the 50th lease at the 416-acre business community located inside Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) in Harford County. Since assuming full construction, marketing and leasing rights from the Department of Army in mid-2009 to continue the development of The GATE at APG, the Baltimore-based commercial real estate firm has developed 12 office and research and development (R&D) buildings totaling more than 600,000 square feet of space, and has leased approximately 530,000 square feet of new space. Approximately 2,200 employees work at The GATE at APG on a daily basis, representing 10 percent of APG’S entire workforce.

St. John Properties has the capacity to build up to two million square feet of Class “A” multi-story and single-story office space, as well as research and development (R&D) flex/office and retail space at The GATE at APG. The project is the central location for contractors and agencies that support APG, with DRS joining a community of defense contractors that includes The Boeing Company, CACI, General Dynamics, CSC, Raytheon, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Engility, DSCI and Lockheed Martin.

“Attracting fifty companies to The GATE in less than five years is a substantial accomplishment that validates our corporate decision to invest significant financial and personnel resources to this development, which now houses dozens of the most recognizable names in the defense contracting industry,” said Lawrence F. Maykrantz, President, St. John Properties. “Considering the project’s size, security protocols and importance to our country’s day-to-day defense and security operations, the on-going maintenance and success of this business community represents a major responsibility for our entire organization. Given its unique position inside the fence at APG, The GATE is the location of choice for defense contractors.”

DRS Technologies leased approximately 5,000 square feet of flex space to serve a government contract, as well as approximately 10,000 square feet of new built-to-suit Class “A” office space, with the latter located at 6170 Guardian Gateway. The company plans to move approximately 50 employees to the business community by this fall. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, DRS Technologies supplies integrated products, services and support to military forces, intelligence agencies and prime contractors around the world. The company develops, manufactures and supports a broad range of systems for mission critical and military sustainment requirements. DRS Technologies was represented in the lease deal by Jeff Garibaldi and Chuck Bauer from The Garibaldi Group.

“DRS is moving to The GATE at APG to continue our long term support of the US Army C4ISR Community and to provide enhanced offerings to the US Army by leveraging the deep technology, products, solutions and services across the DRS Technologies enterprise,” said Fred Whiton, Vice President and General Manager of DRS Technologies.

Seven of the top 10 defense contracting firms, ranked by the value of contracts received by the United States Government, are located at The GATE at APG. Key amenities and features integrated within the business community include Anti-Terrorism Force Protection (ATFP) compliant buildings, direct connection to the government’s secure IT networks, and proximity to C4ISR Command Operations at Aberdeen Proving Ground. C4ISR is a 2.5 million square foot campus with more than 7,200 employee positions, 120 laboratories and 80,000 pieces of equipment located at APG.

About The GATE at APG
The Government and Technology Enterprise (The GATE at APG) is a 416-acre, state-of-the-art office and technology business park located immediately inside the main entrance to Aberdeen Proving Ground. Over the anticipated 10-year buildout of The GATE project, St. John Properties is developing the park to lease to government sector and non-sector users. The Baltimore-based commercial real estate company also has the option to locate future buildings outside or inside APG’S secure perimeter. For more information about The GATE at APG, visit www.TheGATEAPG.com.

About St. John Properties
St. John Properties, Inc., founded in 1971, owns and has developed more than 17 million square feet of R&D/flex, office, retail and warehouse space in Maryland, Colorado, Louisiana, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin. For more information about the company, visit sjp.mu9b0uf9-liquidwebsites.com.

For more information, contact:
Al Cunniff, Director of Marketing, St. John Properties, Inc.
410-369-1277