The logistics startup Flexport is expanding its presence in Bellevue. The company has secured three floors in the Skyline Tower for its operations, according to a report from the Puget Sound Business Journal. Savills, a brokerage firm, stated in its Q2 2023 Seattle market report that Flexport has recently leased over 55,000 square feet of office space within the tower. This space was previously occupied by Amazon, as confirmed by permits. Amazon had announced in November 2022 that it would be vacating 130,000 square feet of office space in the Skyline Tower, with 55,000 square feet available for sublease, which Flexport took.
Headquartered in San Francisco and with offices worldwide, Flexport had been utilizing a partial floor in the One Twelfth at Twelfth South building in Bellevue since 2021. The move to the Skyline Tower signifies a relocation for the company, Savills spokesperson Aaron Shirley told the Business Journal. Flexport is currently looking to sublease its 10,000 square feet at One Twelfth at Twelfth South.
While Savills did not specify the specific floors within Skyline Tower that Flexport will occupy, permits filed in May and June indicate that it will encompass floors six through eight. In addition to Flexport’s presence, Skyline Tower will also see a departure from Meta, as the company plans to vacate floors four and five, offering them for sublease.
Over the past year, Flexport has been actively hiring in the Seattle area, with approximately 175 open job positions as of March. Although the firm is not a direct competitor to Amazon in the e-commerce sector, it has capitalized on the talent pool of former Amazon employees. Alongside Dave Clark, who joined Flexport after an Amazon tenure of 23 years, Flexport has filled at least 18 leadership positions with individuals who have Amazon experience. Among these 18 hires, 10 joined directly from Amazon. Furthermore, four out of the seven members of the company’s executive team have previous experience at Amazon. While Flexport has not disclosed its exact employee count in the Puget Sound region, LinkedIn indicates that it has over 350 employees in the greater Seattle area.
The tech leasing activity has been relatively slow this year compared to previous years, with major tenants relinquishing significant office spaces as lease expiration dates approach. However, the Savills report highlights that Lyft has renewed more than 24,000 square feet of space in Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood, and T-Mobile has kept its lease for 87,000 square feet at Canyon Pointe South in Bothell.
