Newly appointed Principal of The Garibaldi Group, Michael Witko, was recently recognized at the 24th Annual Partners in Economic Development Awards Luncheon for brokering the largest retail transaction in Morris County during 2015. The deal was for 20,352 square feet in Mt. Olive and was leased to Sky Zone Trampoline Park, a global “out of the box” fitness and party retailer with locations in four countries and over one hundred locations in the majority of US states. The deal was for an eleven-year commitment. The premises was formerly tenanted by an office supply retailer.
Sky Zone’s physical attributes and requirements for their space proved to be the biggest challenge of this transaction, as the original ceiling heights and column spacing did not meet the minimum criteria to accommodate their design. Working in collaboration with the building owner Lamar Companies, Michael Witko and his team were able to raise the roof and work around the buildings column spacing to maximize the floor area for Sky Zone.
For Mr. Witko, Sky Zone represents a five-year relationship which has grown with the company. Sky Zone had originally focused on occupying vacant industrial buildings and relied on being a destination location, Mr. Witko has helped Sky Zone as they refocus their efforts on incorporating retail locations for better visibility and accessibility. When Mr. Witko started working with Sky Zone, he often had to fight for his clients to be seriously considered as potential tenants.