NASCAR Plaza Welcomes Heels.com; Duke Endowment to Break Ground on Building in Dilworth

By Amalia Otet, Associate Editor

Heels.com has chosen NASCAR Plaza for the relocation of its corporate headquarters. The company recently inked a deal to lease 12,156 square feet on the 17th floor of the 19-story tower, with plans to move into the new outfit in October of 2011.

Founded in Charlotte in 2007 by Eric and Linda McCoy, the online retailer of fashionable designer shoes recorded a rapid and steady growth over the years, hence the need to relocate. The office tower located at 550 South Caldwell Street in downtown Charlotte seemed to be the best choice for a thriving business such as Heels.com.

Since it was acquired by Trinity Capital Advisors earlier this year, the LEED Silver certified, 390,000-square-foot NASCAR Plaza was revitalized and repositioned to suit both CBD and suburban Charlotte tenants. Heels.com is to join other notable occupants such as Charlotte Regional Partnership, NASCAR Inc., and the FDIC.

“Our new space at NASCAR Plaza promises to be just as creative, stylish and innovative as our company,” said CEO Eric McCoy in a press release. “The building offers Heels.com everything we wanted as we continue to grow: modern architecture and design not seen anywhere else in Charlotte, and the view from the 17th floor is truly the best in the city.”

The retailer will also move its shoe inventory and order fulfillment operations to a 200,000-square-foot warehouse space in Louisville, Ky.

In other news, the Charlotte Observer reports that the Duke Endowment, the largest private foundation in the Carolinas, will break ground next year on a new building in Dilworth, on East Morehead St. at the site of Frankie’s Italian Grille, which had closed in 2009. Gensler, a global architecture firm with offices in Charlotte, was selected to design the 30,000-square-foot edifice that will be built according to LEED specifications.