The Distribution by Juniper Square

Ep. 6: Scaling a Multi-billion Dollar Industrial CRE Business One HNW LP at a Time - Chris Powers - Founder & Executive Chairman of Fort Capital

Apr 11, 2023

Chris Powers, Founder of Fort Capital, shares his journey in real estate, focusing on industrial properties. Discusses strategic shifts, syndication, and challenges in scaling the business. Explores the evolution and success of Fort Capital, raising capital, and future growth plans.

01:26:31

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Episode guests

Chris Powers

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Building trust through social media and podcasting accelerated capital raising for Fort Capital.

Syndication model involved pooling capital from various investors to complete 43 deals worth $400 million since 2015.

Considering a shift to institutional capital to further scale the business and streamline capital raising.

Focus on personalized investor relations and transparent communication with over 800 investors.

Deep dives

Building Trust at Scale

Chris leveraged his track record and emphasis on trust to accelerate capital raising and build a network of over 800 investors. By having a strong social media presence, including Twitter and a podcast, he was able to reach a broader audience and establish trust with potential investors quickly. This strategy allowed for a more efficient path from commitment to close, a key factor in his success.

Introduction

2min

Evolution of Real Estate Business Focus to Industrial Properties

29min

Transitioning to a Singular Focus: Impact on Company Strategy and Culture

2min

Evolution and Expansion of Fort Capital: A Snapshot of Success

3min

Navigating Syndication and Scaling Investor Relations

23min

Fort Capital's Potential Opportunities and Challenges

20min

Exploring Detailed Memos, Real Estate Market Trends, and Operational Intensity in Class B Industrial Properties

6min

On today's episode, I sit down with Chris Powers, Founder and Executive Chairman of Fort Capital and host of The Fort Podcast. Chris is a serial entrepreneur with more than 18 years of real estate development and investment experience.

To date, Fort Capital has invested over $2 billion in Class B industrial, Commercial, Multi-Family, student housing, and residential land development projects throughout the state of Texas and the Sunbelt. Chris spends his time focusing on Fort's long-term strategy, fostering strategic relationships, and building capital partnerships that will help complement the firm's growth.

As host of The Fort, Chris has published over 255 episodes through a series of raw business conversations with leaders and entrepreneurs. Many will know Chris as a member of the ReTwit community, which is a group of real estate professionals that are active on Twitter.

I've had the opportunity to get to know Chris over the last several years, including as a guest on his podcast, and today I'm excited to flip the microphone on Chris to get to know him and learn more about his personal journey and the story of Fort Capital.

Links:

Follow Chris on Twitter

Check out The Fort Podcast

Learn more about Juniper Square

Provide feedback for the podcast

Connect with Brandon Sedloff on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bsedloff/

Topics:

(00:02:18) - Chris’ journey into commercial Real Estate and early career

(00:05:39) - Why do you think Real Estate was your calling?

(00:08:19) - Did your studies at TCU play into your eventual career?

(00:11:30) - When did Fort Capital come into existence?

(00:18:29) - Who’s Jason Baxter and what’s his role?

(00:20:08) - How did you transition out of housing development and into industrial?

(00:24:23) - When you got into industrial, how did you find your niche within this asset class?

(00:33:15) - What are the headline stats on Fort Capital today?

(00:35:26) - What is the process of finding a deal and the syndication model you pursue?

(00:43:39) - How have you become so skilled at raising capital?

(00:50:00) - The power of social media & Twitter

(00:58:04) - What do the next 5 years for FC look like?

(01:04:21) - How do you think about transitioning from building trust with non institutional capital to raising from institutional capital?

(01:08:04) - How has technology played a role in the success of Fort Capital?

(01:19:15) - What are 3 reasons investors should care about Class B Industrial in the Sun Belt?

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The Distribution by Juniper Square

Ep. 6: Scaling a Multi-billion Dollar Industrial CRE Business One HNW LP at a Time - Chris Powers - Founder & Executive Chairman of Fort Capital

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Building Trust at Scale

Syndication Model Success

Transition to Institutional Capital

Impact of Social Media Strategy

Personalized Investor Relations

Strategic Approach to Network Growth

Building Trust and Authenticity in Business

Operational Efficiency and Technological Innovation

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts