Fortec has acquired a 15,040-square-foot former ambulance warehouse at 401 W. Sullivan Drive in Vernon Hills, Illinois.

The $1.7 million acquisition is part of a $5 million investment to transform the property into The Nest School-Vernon Hills, an early education center scheduled to open in the spring of 2026. Fortec is financing the project with a lender partner and expects to complete construction by mid-2026. Northmarq’s Milo Spector represented Fortec in the deal.

Fortec has signed a lease with The Nest Schools, a fast-growing childhood education operator with more than 50 schools nationwide, marking the fourth partnership between the two companies. “Turning a former ambulance headquarters into a beautiful, high-quality preschool speaks to what Fortec is all about,” said Pablo Barreiro, Chairman of Fortec. “We saw the potential in this property to once again serve its community – this time by educating its youngest residents and bringing jobs to the area in the process.”