Justin Smith - Building Better Leases

Justin Smith - Building Better Leases Tenant representation at its finest. Renew, relocate, or consolidate. Assess your options here.

Justin has experience representing tenants from small local startups, to private family owned companies, to large public international corporations. He has successfully completed over 500 assignments nationally representing roughly half a billion worth of consideration. You’ll find his expertise balancing the operational and financial needs of the company unparalleled.

03/12/2026

There are a lot of small businesses out there that are extremely profitable with entrepreneurs figuring out that buying their own warehouse is another “must do” in order to put their capital to work, secure the property that they are going to be investing heavily in, having a great place to come to work that is easy to get to, with great food options near by, and to create the biggest tax shelter possible.

This is one of the reasons 5,000-20,000 SF warehouses in Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Irvine, and Huntington Beach are perpetually in demand and there never seems to be too much inventory.

Grant La Bounty Chris Vassilian

10/16/2025

New Episode: The Unfiltered Truth About Scaling a 3PL w/ ShipMonk SVP Jonathan Briggs.

Whether you’re a PE-backed brand considering your first 3PL, a real estate broker trying to match tenant specs to reality, or an operator staring down Q4, you’ll come away smarter.

Here’s what you’ll hear:

▶️ Why ShipMonk pulled out automation after COVID
– They invested heavily in AMRs, put-to-light, robotic arms… then reconsidered if that was the right path.
– Manual pick paths = 3x the volume in some instances

▶️ How they disqualify deals fast
– Cultural fit, operational fit, capability fit
– “Excitement is not due diligence.”

▶️ Why multi-tenant buildings beat dedicated sites in 2025
– They’re not selling a building, they’re selling a network.
– No single-site CapEx plays. If you need a million SF, they’ll spread it across multiple countries and nodes and still win on speed.

▶️ Real talk on sales in a volatile market
– December 2023 to Q1 2025 was chaos: tariffs, de minimis drama, Mexican border policy, and Supreme Court reversals.
– Jonathan’s team ran four major spin-up cycles, lost sleep, and still hit goal.
– “Status quo is my #1 competitor. If it’s not a hell yes, it’s a no.”

▶️ Inside ShipMonk’s go-to-market engine
– In-house WMS, OMS, TMS, and WES: one codebase, one dashboard, global control.
– Virtual Carrier Network can replace your TMS + BI + carrier management stack.

▶️ Returns, personalization, and value-added services are the next moat
– Same building. Same software. Same team. Returns are not an afterthought.
– They’re leaning into embroidery, engraving, labeling; differtietors that build margin and stickiness.

▶️ What he’d do with $50M tomorrow?
– Not robots. Not a fancy WMS.
– He’d add more locations: Australia, Netherlands, Germany, West Coast Canada.
– “The future isn’t US only. The winners will run bonded and forward stock globally.”

🔥 This is the kind of interview that cuts through the fluff.

10/15/2025

When companies finally decide to hand off fulfillment to a 3PL, most are walking into a world they don’t fully understand.

As Jonathan Briggs, SVP at ShipMonk, shared with me in our interveiw:

“Companies often think it’s just labor. But what about the building, the software, the quality, the utilities, the risk? Even when they know the cost, they expect a 3PL to be cheaper, forgetting that fulfillment is our product.”

We go on to spend the podcast episode highlighting:
• The hidden costs most first-time outsourcers miss
• Why scaling doesn’t automatically mean cheaper
• How true value comes from network, reach, and reliability, not just the rate card

If you’ve ever debated going from in-house fulfillment to outsourced, or advised a client doing it, this will help you get you thinking.

The full hour long episode drops tomorrow and will be great for executives, operators, industrial real estate brokers, and PE shops alike.

Grant La Bounty Chris Vassilian

10/14/2025

Progress Update at 1400 Manhattan, Fullerton

Exciting to see our client completing their move-out from this 102,016 SF industrial building as they transition into their new 173,000 SF facility in Chino.

Once the move-out and cleanup are complete, we’ll start preparing the building for marketing, photo shoots, and open house events to maximize visibility and find the right company to take over the property. We envision either a sublease (through Feb 2028) or a new 5, 7, or 10 year lease directly with the long term reputable landlord.

Stay tuned for updates as we bring this property back to life and ready for its next great tenant.

09/23/2025

In my conversation with Dr. Noel Hacegaba, the COO of the Port of Long Beach, he emphasized that automation isn’t a binary decision. Some functions are automated, others rely solely on people power, and one of the Port’s top performing terminals is a conventional one.

The real focus? Thoughtful expansion.

• Prioritize rail expansion so more containers can move directly ship-to-train and reach inland hubs like Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City and Memphis faster.

• Streamline pickup appointments for truck drivers digitally and increase data visability.

The Port of Long Beach is already a massive economic engine for Southern California, supporting nearly 700,000 jobs locally and 3 million nationwide.

The next chapter is about scaling rail to push goods across the country with more speed and predictability.

I think you’ll be pleased to hear how the Port of Long Beach is evolving and growing to better serve the community.

Full episode drops tomorrow on Industrial Insights.



Grant La Bounty Chris Vassilian

07/28/2025

If you’re looking to position your business in one of the most competitive logistics markets in the nation, the Inland Empire West is still the best bet.

Now Available for Lease
±50,065 SF Industrial Building
13611 Santa Ana Ave, Fontana, CA

Property Highlights:
• ±50,065 SF on 3.34 acres
• ±2,200 SF of office
• 24’ clear height
• 4 dock-high doors (10’ x 10’) + 1 ground-level door (12’ x 14’)
• 2,000 amps of heavy 3-phase power (277-480V)
• 2 levelers and a .45 GPM/3,000 sprinkler system
• 50 surface parking stalls
• Fully fenced and secured truck court + 175’ concrete yard depth
• Zoned M2 – Fontana’s most functional industrial zoning

Whether you’re a last-mile user, a light manufacturer, or a regional distributor looking to plant your flag in a business friendly, high identity business park, this site delivers.

Minutes from I-15, I-10, and SR-60, with quick access to the ports, rail hubs, and SoCal’s massive consumer base.

This is a standout opportunity to secure your footprint in a submarket with proven fundamentals and limited availability.

DM me, or contact our team directly to schedule a tour.

Grant La Bounty Chris Vassilian Luke Marthens

07/22/2025

🎥 Project Update | 17352 Daimler St., Irvine

A strong‑credit tenant + a forward‑thinking landlord = transformation.
To welcome our new five‑year tenant we’re rolling out a full capital‑expenditure and TI program:
• ✨ Fresh exterior paint & modernized façade
• 🌳 Drought‑tolerant landscaping and new parking‑island planters
• 🚗 Resurfaced / re‑striped parking lot
• 🚚 Re‑paved truck court & loading apron, rebuilt interior dock well
• 🏢 Upgraded office build‑out + tailored TI package to fit the tenant’s exact workflow

The result: a revitalized ±30,840 SF HQ / manufacturing facility positioned to create value for years to come. 

Securing a credit‑worthy tenant is the best catalyst for reinvestment—protecting long‑term NOI while giving the occupant a space they’re proud to call home.

Huge thanks to our client, design‑build partners, and everyone who helped deliver this win. On to the next milestone! 💪

Another successful outcome for an owner-user this year. We helped our client purchase a building in Rancho Cucamonga ear...
10/15/2024

Another successful outcome for an owner-user this year.

We helped our client purchase a building in Rancho Cucamonga earlier this year. While making that transaction happen, he also needed another building in New Jersey as their existing facility was running out of room.

Thankfully, we had a working relationship with a fantastic team in one of our New Jersey offices who was able to quickly source multiple options in a tight market that our client could occupy at close of escrow.

We also negotiated for the seller to put in over $500,000 in improvements into the building so that our client could focus on his business and not have to manage contractors while benefiting from the value-added to the property. This included demoing the quasi-retail building to enlarge the loading area, repaving, repainting, new dock packages, electrical, etc.

The result was increased capacity for the business to grow and a long-term investment at a basis that will stand the test of time.

Thank you to Troy Wisse and Michael Schaible for taking great care of our client and making this deal happen!

Grant LaBounty
Chris Vassilian

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9838 Research Drive
Irvine, CA
92618

Telephone

+19497903151

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