A defense firm that specializes in technology to take out drones has leased an entire 100,000-square-foot warehouse-and-office building in Torrance for its new headquarters.
Epirus signed a 10-year lease for the property at 19145 Gramercy Place, the firm announced on Thursday.
Atlanta-based IDI Logistics owns the building, which it acquired for $21.5 million from Alpine Electronics of America last year, records show.
A venture-backed firm, Epirus develops power systems for weapons. Last month, it signed a deal with General Dynamics Land Systems to build laser missiles for use against drones.
Around 150 engineers and business development employees will work out of the Torrance facility. The firm will keep a satellite office at 12831 Weber Way in Hawthorne, as well as an office in Tysons Corner, Virginia, according to the firm’s statement.
The Virginia office keeps Epirus staff in proximity to key centers of various public agencies.
Epirus chose Torrance for its “burgeoning business climate” and that a number of other well-renowned firms are located in the South Bay neighborhood.
Epirus found space in a tight market. In the third quarter, total industrial vacancy in Torrance dropped to 0.7 percent, with asking rents reaching $1.21 per square foot — slightly above the South Bay’s average of $1.18 a foot, according to Newmark.
Industrial developers, including CenterPoint Properties and Rexford Industrial Realty, have also flocked to Torrance’s industrial real estate in recent months, given its proximity to the ports in Los Angeles.