Carlson Real Estate Company Acquires Opus Cotton Center
December 20, 2007—Phoenix, AZ—Carlson Real Estate Company has completed a deal with Opus to acquire the 265,000 square foot Opus Cotton Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Opus development, which is currently 73% leased, will be renamed by Carlson Real Estate Company to “Cotton Center IV” representing the four flex buildings that make up the project. With this acquisition, Carlson Real Estate’s total portfolio in Phoenix grows to nearly 1.5 million square feet.

“We are very excited to add to our investments within the Cotton Center with the addition of this quality property developed by Opus West Corporation,” said Joe Ihrke, Vice President of Carlson Real Estate Company. “The Cotton Center’s central location and proximity to Sky Harbor International Airport make it one of the premiere business park addresses in Metropolitan Phoenix.”

Matt Van Slooten, President of Carlson Real Estate, who offices out of the company’s Minneapolis headquarters agreed, saying, “It’s a terrific location and the buildings are extremely functional. With our on-site management we believe that we will be in a position to lease the current vacancy fairly quickly. This portfolio is a natural fit with our high-quality, fast-growing Phoenix portfolio.”

Carlson Real Estate Company is an affiliate of Carlson Companies, parent company of Radisson Hotels, T.G.I.Friday’s Restaurants, and other national and global businesses, and one of America’s largest privately held companies. Carlson Real Estate Company is dedicated to developing long-term client relationships by operating with caring and integrity and providing innovative and accommodating solutions. Its portfolio of office and flex/industrial space concentrated in Minnesota, Arizona, and North Carolina exceeds 6 million combined square feet. For more information about Carlson Real Estate Company, visit www.carlsonrealestate.biz.

Opus West Corporation – a $2.1 billion national real estate development company, has been building beyond clients' expectations and fulfilling their development visions for nearly 55 years. With headquarters in Minneapolis, Opus has 2,100 employees in 28 offices throughout North America. To date, Opus has completed 2,375 projects totaling 228 million square feet and has 34 million square feet of projects planned or under development across the country. The first of the Opus companies began in 1953 as a general contractor in Minnesota. The company continued to grow, consistently expanding its reputation for designing and building high-quality, efficient business environments. Over the years, Opus expanded its real estate development and property management capabilities and opened offices in other cities. In the 1980s, Opus established regional operating companies to provide services within geographic areas across the United States. Visit www.opuscorp.com

Media Contact:
Kassandra Bruhn
Carlson Real Estate Company
Marketing Coordinator
480-287-5476
kbruhn@carlson.com