Owners of the Manchaca Industrial Center, Ben and Wafa Rivera, intend to build office space on the 2-acre property.[/caption]

When spouses Ben and Wafa Rivera broke ground on the Manchaca Industrial Center in June 2016, they said their goal was to provide high-quality warehouse space for area business owners.


“We wanted to build warehouses that could be the role model of what warehouses should look like, that we could be proud of and would provide opportunities for people to enhance their business,” Wafa said.


The preliminary design for the development was drawn by her father, a Jordanian immigrant and self-made entrepreneur.


“You can have a goal in the United States, sketch it on a piece of paper and in three years make it a reality,” Wafa said.


Two buildings and eight tenants are housed in the 17,600-square-foot development, located at 12300 Wirth Road, Austin, including the ASTIG Training Center, Zach Johnson Automotive and Central Texas Wood Restoration. The development was fully occupied at the time of its March opening.


The Riveras, who also own Ben’s Sprinkler and Plumbing Co., are in the midst of working with an engineer to determine the feasibility of constructing a co-working office space on the 2-acre property.


“This is a nice area; we want to stay here, and with SH 45 coming after 20 years, this will be a good place to develop,” she said.