Grand Rapids-based Gelock Heavy Movers made its second property acquisition in the area since September to continue to meet customer demand, executives say. 

The industrial moving company, which is based near downtown at 500 Market Ave. SW near the Grand River, purchased property in Grandville for $3.9 million on March 18, according to property records. Gelock bought the 4.6-acre property at 2973 Dormax St. SW from 3520 36th St. Property LLC, which is registered to David J. Vander Slik Jr. Vander Slik founded DJ’s Landscape Management, which is listed as a portfolio company of MRE Capital, a Maryland-based family office and private equity firm. 

The Dormax property also houses corporate offices and a customer distribution center for Electro Chemical Finishing. 

Gelock Heavy Movers sold a storage shed along the Grand River to the city of Grand Rapids last year as part of a larger $3.3 million deal so the city could perform storm and sanitary sewer infrastructure work. 

The Grandville property will be used to “quickly alleviate” the loss of that storage facility, and house a more passive segment of Gelock’s operations, Matt VanDam, chief operating officer of Gelock Heavy Movers and affiliated machine shop HEL Inc., said via email.

Keep up with all things West Michigan business. Sign up for our free newsletters today.

“The building is quickly accessible via both highway or surface streets and is close to our current downtown Grand Rapids location,” VanDam said. “It required minimal to no changes to suit our immediate needs of a secure, dry building with good ground level access.”

Gelock provides warehousing, rigging and cranes for moving heavy industrial equipment for its customers.

Gelock Heavy Movers has acquired this building at 2973 Dormax St. SW in Grandville to replace storage space it sold in Grand Rapids. Credit: Property records

In September, Gelock purchased the last 15 available acres of the sprawling 74-acre property known as Site 36 that formerly housed a General Motors stamping plant. The company closed on the property in Wyoming for nearly $2.3 million. 

Gelock is working through the design process for what it will develop at Site 36, and has no plans to sell its downtown property, VanDam said. The company is designing a facility for the 15-acre parcel that will accommodate its rigging, millwright, mobile crane, industrial machine repair and industrial equipment sales customers. 

“Dormax and the Site 36 property are a part of our strategy to continue to meet the needs of our dynamic customer base,” VanDam said.

More from Crain’s Grand Rapids Business:

Short-term rental owners seek to resume operating after lakeshore township’s ban

East Hills coffee shop building hits market for $595K one month after sale

ADAC advances vertical integration with deal for lakeshore electronics supplier