Commercial Real Estate Podcast

Commercial Real Estate Podcast


Industrial Investment with Allan Perez of CanFirst

January 06, 2022

In this episode, we’ll be getting into the evolution and future of industrial. Joining the conversation is Allan Perez, CEO of CanFirst Capital Management. Furthermore, he is a Sessional Instructor at Schulich School of Business at York University.


Industrial has become the hottest asset class over the last little while, so Allan takes us through different factors causing that to happen. He’ll also explain why the market might find some relief in the next little while and how automation will play into the space.


Topics covered include:


  • Why Allan and his co-founder decided to go after industrial 20 years ago.
  • Predictions from Allan on why some of the pressure in the industrial market might slightly cool off.
  • What makes industrial so “sexy” today.
  • Automation and why it isn’t part of the future for every tenant.
  • Subtypes of industrial that Allan would be most likely to sell and most likely to buy today.
  • Roadblocks to build more industrial space.
  • The pandemic kicking industrial assets into overdrive.
  • CanFirst’s focus on industrial spaces and how much capital they have raised.
  • Catering to tenants who are satisfied with lower ceiling heights.
  • Why there aren’t a lot of self-storage opportunities.
  • Different tenants and the different heights that they look for.
  • Seeing more and more automated warehouses.
  • The difficult process of telling a tenant that their rent is increasing.
  • Interesting opportunities in older parts of major cities.
  • Allan’s favourite building that he has owned.

More about our guest….


Allan Perez is a co-founder & Chief Executive Officer of CanFirst Capital Management, a private real estate equity firm. CanFirst invests on behalf of institutional and private high net worth investors and has raised in excess of $800 million of equity capital since its inception. Allan’s real estate career encompasses 40 years of senior executive positions with real estate organizations including The Prudential Insurance Company of America, Canderel Ltd., Dundee Realty Corporation and V&A Properties. His responsibilities included acquisition and disposition, development, marketing, leasing, e-commerce and asset management.


Allan graduated from McGill University in 1980 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree where he majored in Finance and Marketing.


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