Synergy and Mills Development is planning two new office buildings near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, confident that members of the thriving community of Dayton-area defense contractors will find a home there.
“Commercial office is a very risky venture,” said Jerad Barnett, president and chief executive of Synergy and Mills. “But we certainly feel like we’ve gotten comfortable with that risk. We’re probably a little more comfortable than most with the success we’ve had out here.”
The company envisions a pair of buildings off Col. Glenn Highway near Interstate 675, not far from the Dave Dennis Chrysler Jeep Dodge auto dealership at 4232 Col Glenn Highway.
One planned building is bigger than the other, with a two-story, 40,000-square-foot office building being finalized in design, and a four-story, 85,000-square-foot building for which design is already finalized. Grading work at the construction site has started.
Synergy will likely break ground this spring. Plans will be forwarded to Beavercreek city planners next month.
For years, Synergy and Mills has spearheaded projects serving area defense contractors and others. The company created a Department of Defense-focused corridor off I-675 with clients such as Kettering Health Network, Wright State University and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The company was also behind other commercial projects in recent years, serving Dayton Children’s Hospital Child Health Pavilion, to Allure apartments in Centerville.
When it comes to building for the local defense community, Synergy is familiar with the market.
“Our expectation is that not only Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the jobs on base, but especially the contract support outside the base will continue to grow,” Barnett said in an interview.
Wright-Patterson is unique in that it is the largest concentration of employment in one location in the state of Ohio, but some 35,000 military, civilian and contractor employees working on or for the base. Department of Defense contracts to area companies serving the Air Force and the Space Force are a regular, often daily, occurrence.
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