AIT Worldwide Logistics

One of the Chicago area’s fastest-growing companies is planting its flag in the former Arthur J. Gallagher headquarters in Itasca, notching a key victory for the New York real estate investor that bought the highly vacant property last year.

AIT Worldwide Logistics has leased nearly 57,000 square feet at 2 Pierce Place in the northwest suburb, where it will relocate its headquarters later this year from a nearby industrial building at 701 N. Rohlwing Road it has called home since 1997, the company confirmed. The new deal includes AIT signage on the 27-story building’s exterior and will nearly double the roughly 30,000 square feet of corporate office space it occupies today.

The move makes AIT stand out from the crowd as a company expanding its office footprint, growth that belies the broader trend of office users shedding unwanted space amid the pandemic-induced rise of remote work. Office downsizing has pummeled landlords, who will collectively celebrate AIT’s deal while they struggle with record-high vacancy. It’s especially good news for the venture of New York-based Sovereign Partners that bought Two Pierce Place a year ago at a steep discount with a plan to refill it with tenants.