Developer seeking brewery or beverage partner for exciting westside Rochester development
Suplex Properties wants to find a brewery to occupy a pristine industrial space near State Street.
Note: This is sponsored content produced through an agreement through Suplex Capital and the Cleveland Prost.
When Marty Grizzanti looks at the pristine blank slate inside 86 White St., he sees an endless world of possibilities.
Could it be a brewery? Would it make a great home for a distillery? Could multiple beverage producers team up here to form some sort of co-op or incubator? What about a manufacturer (in pretty much any industry)?
That’s why Grizzanti and his partner/friend Matt McGuckin recently bought the 1880-era warehouse/manufacturing building on Rochester’s west side. Brendon Bascom, a well-known figure in local commercial real estate, was brought in as a third partner on this White Street property.
“It’s a very unique building,” Grizzanti said. “I think it’s the right space for a brewery or a distillery. I think you’ve got to see it. But it doesn’t have to stop there. It could be a great food manufacturing space or something for processing. It’s so clean. There’s not a spot of dust anywhere and we haven’t even touched it yet.
“I can really see someone taking a chance on this unique spot and making it happen.”
McGuckin and Grizzanti met more than a decade ago while working at a Rochester-area digital market agency and bonded over their shared vision, mutual respect, entrepreneurial spirit, and desire to put the hard work in to really transform a property. They kick-started their real estate and development partnership in 2014.
They started with residential properties and have expanded into commercial spots recently. And after that, they added a construction and remodeling component to their business.
McGuckin and Grizzanti own more than 100 units (houses, apartment buildings, and office space) and flip as many as 30 houses per year. Grizzanti said it is particularly rewarding when they can connect a first-time home buyer with one of their properties. He can still remember that first city tax auction and how one property became three and then more and more after that.
“To take a property that’s in disrepair and then put in the hard work to fix it up, it’s so rewarding, especially when we can get an excited homeowner in there,” Grizzanti said.
Plus, they were high school wrestlers. Hence, the suplex name. (And you know, as a long-time pro wrestling fan, I am on board with that. It instantly brings to mind wrestling legends Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar.)
That shared mindset, the gritty one most wrestlers exude, is one of the major reasons they purchased the 86 White St. property. They originally saw the potential before the building even went on the market, reaching out to the former owner/occupant. When they saw the building, they fell in love and then they started thinking about what it could become next.
“For 70 years, it was an ingredients manufacturing business that had been bought twice,” Grizzanti said. “But still, it stayed the same as a vanilla extract ingredient company (Synergy Flavors was the latest name before it moved).”
Grizzanti and McGuckin said they aren’t limited to just partnering with a craft beverage producer. But let’s be honest, when you look at this building, it’s really easy to envision a bustling brewery there. Imagine a garage door that could be rolled up for can releases or a small tasting room in the shadows of some stainless steel fermentation vessels. I can certainly see it. Plus, it would be super cool to see a brewery open on the west side of the Genesee River. Currently, every brewery taproom in the city of Rochester is on the east side. (Though Iron Tug does have its production facility in the city’s west side but operates a tasting room on Park Ave.)
“We’re so open to figuring this out with the right partners,” Grizzanti said.
I’m really intrigued by the idea of a co-op brewery partnership inside the White Street spot. It’s really cool to think that through some sort of alternating proprietorship or contract brewing agreement, multiple breweries could team up to take advantage of the blank space. Think it of as the beverage version of the Commissary, the Rochester kitchen incubator inside the Sibley building downtown. It’s a model that has worked elsewhere and would significantly lower the barriers for entry for lots of interest people.
The first floor was utilized for manufacturing, shipping, and warehousing. It’s so bright and clean that it looks like a brewery could move in tomorrow. The second floor was office space, while the third floor was a laboratory. The space offers a lot of flexibility and the next occupant could creatively use it for just about anything.
Here are the particulars of the White Street property:
It’s located just a block from the State Street/Lyell Avenue intersection.
It comes in at 22,000 square feet and offers a mix of office, manufacturing, and warehouse space.
The brick exterior is immaculate and matches many of the other historic properties in the area.
The original building is 16,000 square feet and features a full basement.
An additional 4,800 square feet was added in subsequent additions.
That added more warehouse and industrial space.
There is an adjoining partner that is partially fenced in.
The building is right around the corner from Interstate 490 and some of the busiest stretches of road in the Rochester area.
The process is just as fun as the destination, Grizzanti said.
“You get to see something go from unwanted to desirable, it’s highly satisfying. To us, as creatives in our own weird way, it’s fun to find something that’s a diamond in the rough and then you’re the one who uncovered it because you’re willing to put in the hard work.”
For more on this property, you can reach out to Suplex through its website at suplex-capital.com or connect with Marty through social media. Grizzanti also encourages interested folks to call him directly at 585-402-2985.