Jackson Sports Academy Signs 10-Year Lease for Commercial Property at McClellan Park (Sacramento County)

East West Commercial Real Estate is pleased to announce its successful relocation of Jackson Sports Academy (JSA) to McClellan Park in Sacramento County.  Effective December 1, 2012, JSA is taking over 72,000 square feet of primarily warehouse space, which represents only a small portion of the 8.5 million square feet of commercial real estate that comprises McClellan Park.

The new space will provide sufficient room for 12 volleyball courts, which is currently the predominant sport for JSA.  Other sports to be offered will include basketball, soccer and tennis.  According to Dwayne Jackson, Executive Director of JSA, “we’re most excited about the massive parking lot, large upstairs offices with training room, hospitality suite and parent’s lounge, 38-foot high ceilings, plus free-span building without interference from structural support poles.”

Click here for related article by the Sacramento Business Journal or recent news story by Good Day Sacramento.

In so many ways, this move to a larger and more functional commercial property is a dream come true for Jackson, his coaches, referees, players and parents.  It was only six years ago that Jackson set out to create the JSA organization.  It started by renting a single volleyball court at a Sacramento area school property and quickly grew to something significant.  A major step forward came three years ago, when JSA rented 36,000 square feet of retail/warehouse space in the old Home Base building near Madison Ave and Auburn Blvd in Sacramento.  After its first season, JSA expanded into the adjacent commercial space and doubled its size to 64,000 square feet.  Everybody loved it and was so excited to have such a great facility; however, the space did have its shortcomings.  For instance, volleyball players had to contend with relatively low ceilings.  More importantly, only having two single person restrooms in the building was a real problem.  Also, insufficient parking was a nightmare for both parents and nearby businesses.

After a total of three years in the former facility, JSA recognized its limitations and set out to find a more suitable building to accommodate future growth.  After engaging East West Commercial Real Estate to identify alternate space, it wasn’t long before Jackson was negotiating a new commercial lease at McClellan Park, less than three miles away from its former facility.  According to Brian Jacks, Regional Vice President of East West Commercial Real Estate in Sacramento, “McClellan Park is a unique community with various uses including retail, office, research & development, manufacturing, distribution, sports, fitness, education, a fully-operational airport, a full-service hotel with restaurant, residential housing elements and developable land not found in any other single commercial real estate development in the Sacramento area.  The former McClellan Air Force Base is like a small city unto itself that is well secured and offers significant amenities to JSA clients and patrons.”

In addition to facilitating volleyball and other sports activities onsite, JSA has been offering Community Collaborative Charter School (CCCS) (among other schools) a place for its middle and high school aged students to accumulate physical education credits.  CCCS did not previously have access to sports court facilities, so JSA welcomed them with opened arms through its non-profit organization called Jackson School For Athletes.  Scott Rungwerth, Vice President of CCCS, indicated that “research links positive adult contact with children becoming successful in school.  Our partnership with JSA helps to us to fulfill this mission and we’re very fortunate to have Jackson as our new neighbor.”  Instead of bussing youth almost three miles down the road to JSA’s old facility, the trip will now only take a few minutes walk across the parking lot, since CCCS is an existing tenant at McClellan Park, where the charter school hosts approximately 700 students.  

Fortunately, the goodwill doesn’t stop there.  Jackson has also partnered with Harold Pressley (former Sacramento King) to introduce basketball to JSA in the form of training, leagues and camps.  Pressley, of Hardwood Palace in Rocklin, also runs a foundation called Treat’em Like a King (TLK Foundation), an organization dedicated to helping disadvantaged children and families to better their lives.  Pressley is excited about his affiliation with JSA and looks forward to “introducing at-risk and disadvantaged children to sporting opportunities that would otherwise not be available to them.  My goal is to make it possible for these youth to participate in basketball leagues and camps that will put smiles on their faces, while allowing them to develop athletic skills in a safe and secure environment.” Pressley is also responsible for securing Isaiah Thomas (current Sacramento King) for a Christmas camp next month at the new JSA facility.  

McClellan Park and JSA worked well together to negotiate terms for the long-term lease, but the deal wasn’t without its challenges.  According to Ken Giannotti, Senior Vice President at McClellan Park, “it was unlike any transaction we have ever considered, due to the sports related aspect of the operation.  We spent time really understanding the business model and working with the County of Sacramento towards approval and change of use permit.”  The new JSA facility officially opens December 1, 2012 with newly installed, energy efficient lighting through a SMUD rebate program.  It will be home to approximately 250 volleyball teams that will utilize the facility for practice and tournaments throughout the year.

Article contributed by Brian Jacks

Brian Jacks is a Sacramento commercial real estate broker (since 1996) specializing in commercial leasing and investment sale transactions for retail, shopping centers, multifamily, apartments, senior housing, office, industrial, mixed-use, and special purpose properties.  Having spent over 20 years with Wells Fargo, he personally facilitated the underwriting, approval and funding of almost 250 commercial loans totaling over $1 billion in proceeds.

Jacks is a Regional Vice President for EAST WEST Commercial Real Estate, a full service commercial real estate brokerage advisor based in Orange County.  In addition to serving the Sacramento marketplace, he is also responsible for the company’s current expansion into the San Francisco Bay Area.  For more information, contact:

Brian.Jacks@EastWestCommercial.com
Cell (916) 837-3456 | eFax (916) 313-3778
915 L Street, Suite C440, Sacramento, CA 95814

Broker Lic. #01217349

About EAST WEST Commercial Real Estate

EAST WEST Commercial Real Estate is a full service commercial real estate brokerage advisor specializing in investment sales, commercial leasing and finance for retail, office, industrial multifamily, senior housing, self-storage, mixed-use and special purpose properties throughout California and Arizona.  The firm is headquartered in Orange County, CA.  Brokerage offices include Sacramento, San Francisco, Walnut Creek, San Jose, Oakland, Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County, Riverside, San Bernardino and Phoenix.  Other services include bank REOs, 1031 exchanges, nationwide commercial Business Opinions of Value (BOV’s) and Broker Price Opinions (BPO’s), mortgage brokerage, lender services, and asset management.