Frontrunner Bus Group is beefing up its local footprint with a lease for an 88,000-square-foot headquarters at 23 Esquire Road, trading up from a smaller manufacturing site about five miles away. Company leaders say the move keeps the low-floor minibus maker in Massachusetts instead of hopping the border to New Hampshire and will give the firm room to ramp up production and add staff. The relocation is slated to wrap up by July 2026.
Company casts upgrade as springboard for growth
In a June 2 press release, Frontrunner billed the Esquire Road lease as the launch of its new corporate headquarters, with production, administrative operations and fleet-support teams all set to share the expanded space. “This move represents an exciting new chapter for Frontrunner Bus Group,” CEO Paul LaRose said, adding that the larger facility will let the company invest in new technologies and create a more modern workplace for employees, according to Frontrunner Bus Group.
Inside the new Billerica hub
Brokers who worked the deal say Frontrunner will occupy the bulk of a roughly 136,421-square-foot industrial and R&D building, tapping into around 20,000 square feet of existing office area and about 5,000 square feet of clean-space. Lease records and brokerage statements also point to the property’s heavy power service, full air conditioning and direct Route 3 access as key selling points that lined up well with light manufacturing needs, per ConnectCRE.
Why stay in Billerica instead of bolting to New Hampshire
Company officials told reporters that hanging on to skilled assembly and shop workers was a major factor in choosing to remain in Billerica rather than cross state lines. That account was first reported by the Boston Business Journal and republished by NBC Boston, which noted that LaRose said the new facility at 23 Esquire Road sits roughly five miles from the current plant and should help the company staff up the positions it plans to create, according to NBC Boston.
How the move fits the local industrial scene
Frontrunner’s expansion tracks with a broader trend of small and mid-sized manufacturers growing along the Merrimack Valley and Route 3 corridor, where access to highways and workable industrial space can make or break a project. State economic-development tools that fund local infrastructure and prep sites for private investment, including the MassWorks program and related site-readiness efforts run by the Commonwealth, are meant to keep properties ready for job-creating deals, per Mass.gov. Other companies have been reshuffling within the region too, such as battery builder Aved’s move to Lowell earlier this year, per Aved’s move to Lowell.
Frontrunner says the transition to Esquire Road is expected to come with minimal disruption to day-to-day operations, and the company has signaled it will be increasing headcount. Recent hiring posts and company updates flag open roles and active recruiting as part of its growth play, per Frontrunner Bus Group and the firm’s LinkedIn feed. Brokers and the property’s ownership group have welcomed the long-term tenant and say the deal should give Billerica’s already busy small-manufacturing cluster another boost.
