Cushman & Wakefield is serving as exclusive leasing agent for a Somerset County building that has been repositioned for life sciences use as the sector continues to draw attention in New Jersey.

Located in Bridgewater, with nearby access to Interstates 78 and 287, along with Routes 202/206, 22 and 28, 77 Corporate Drive is a 210,000-square-foot office building. The assignment was announced Aug. 2 by Legacy Investing, a Virginia investment management company focused on “mission-critical” real estate that is fundamentally affected by new technologies, including digital and physical supply chains, future workplaces, and life sciences.

“As demand for life sciences in the New Jersey market continues to increase, we are excited to have repositioned this trophy office asset into a life sciences hub, providing new Class A space for the many life sciences tenants in the area,” Daniel English, managing partner and founder of Legacy Investing, said in a statement. “By leveraging the expertise of Cushman & Wakefield‘s New Jersey Life Sciences Practice Group, we are confident we will lease up this premier building and make our mark in New Jersey’s thriving life sciences market.”

That Cushman & Wakefield group includes Managing Director Shawn Straka and Executive Managing Directors Todd Elfand and Charles Parmelli.

According to a recent analysis by CBRE, New Jersey is fourth in the nation for life sciences research talent – a sector that shows resiliency and growth, despite economic concerns. Over the past 20 years, sector researchers have grown by more than 87% in the U.S. while occupations overall have grown 14%, CBRE reported in June.

“New Jersey’s strong position as a top market for life sciences research talent is bolstered by some of the region’s top universities and colleges, including Rutgers University, New York University, Princeton, NJIT, Stevens, Seton Hall and Columbia University,” said Tom Sullivan, executive vice president at CBRE, who is based in the Garden State, when the study was released. “The market’s dominance is supported by a workforce of 38,700 life sciences professionals and 9,497 annual relevant degree completions at universities across Greater New Jersey area.”

Those figures, per the report, placed New Jersey at the top nationwide for both categories.

And as the office sector continues to readjust in the wake of pandemic-related shifts, life sciences has shown some significant action in the state. That’s included new companies, like embecta, choosing to establish themselves here; innovators like EpiBone opting to move to the Garden State; legacy companies like Merck staying in the state; and a variety of development efforts to support these kinds of companies, including in Kenilworth, “Einstein’s Alley” in Mercer County, and Trenton.

In Bridgewater, CBRE recently negotiated a 115,000-square-foot lease with Fortune 500 company IQVIA at 77 Corporate Drive. Legacy Investing had previously retained that firm to market space at the property, following its 2019 purchase of the site.

When the IQVIA lease was announced, CBRE Executive Vice President Remy deVarenne remarked of the deal that, “IQVIA conducted an exhaustive search of the region, specifically the Bridgewater market, a hub for the life sciences industry. The company chose 77 Corporate Drive because of its unparalleled existing infrastructure and amenities.”

Straka recently echoed those sentiments about the property.

“This is one of the first Class A office buildings in the New Jersey market that has been repurposed into a life sciences property,” said Straka. “Legacy Investing is a best-in-class, technically adept landlord that works with tenants to create a top-tier work environment. 77 Corporate Drive is a trophy asset with strong infrastructure and fully redundant power. The New Jersey life sciences market is very active, and we are thrilled to be leasing the building on behalf of Legacy Investing.”