Re-shoring, Robotics, and Real Alpha: A Deep Dive Into the Future of Industrial - Aasif Bade - Founder & CEO - Ambrose

Oct 24, 2025

Aasif Bade, the founder and CEO of Ambrose, shares his inspiring journey from a childhood influenced by warehouse visits to launching a leading industrial real estate firm during the financial crisis. He discusses the evolution of modern industrial design and the impact of automation on supply chains. Aasif explains the strategic shift from deal-by-deal partnerships to a $400 million discretionary fund, while also addressing how reshoring and geographic investment strategies are driving demand in non-coastal markets.

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ANECDOTE

From Childhood Factory Visit To Real Estate Career

Aasif got fascinated with warehouses after visiting his dad's plastic injection molding factory at age eight.
That childhood moment led him to intern at Duke Realty and pursue a career owning industrial buildings.

ANECDOTE

Launching Ambrose Amid The Financial Crisis

Aasif left Duke and founded Ambrose 45 days after Lehman's collapse in 2008 at age 26.
He started small, accepted risk, and built the firm with mentors, family support, and gritty execution.

INSIGHT

Hands-On, Vertically Integrated Industrial Focus

Ambrose focuses exclusively on modern class A industrial real estate and runs a national built-to-suit and speculative business.
Their hands-on, boots-on-the-ground approach pairs local presence with a vertically integrated platform.

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In this episode of The Distribution, host Brandon Sedloff sits down with Aasif Bade, founder and CEO of Ambrose, to explore how he built one of the country’s leading modern industrial real estate platforms from the ground up. Aasif shares his journey from watching his father work in a warehouse on the west side of Indianapolis to founding Ambrose in 2008—just weeks after the collapse of Lehman Brothers. He explains how that moment of uncertainty became an opportunity to reimagine how industrial real estate could be developed and operated with an entrepreneurial, client-first mindset.

They discuss: • The childhood experience that sparked Aasif’s lifelong passion for warehouses and real estate • Lessons learned from Duke Realty and how they shaped Ambrose’s “boots on the ground” approach • Launching Ambrose during the Great Financial Crisis and the conviction behind taking that risk • The evolution from deal-by-deal partnerships to raising a $400 million institutional fund • How modern industrial design and advanced automation are redefining America’s supply chain • The growing overlap between industrial and data center development opportunities • Why power access and hands-on market knowledge create a competitive edge

LInks:

Ambrose - https://ambrosepg.com/

Aasif on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/aasif-bade-a3b1851a4/

Brandon on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bsedloff/

Juniper Square - https://www.junipersquare.com/

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:42) - Aasif's early interest in warehousing (00:12:25) - Starting Ambrose during economic turmoil (00:18:28) - The growth and scale of Ambrose (00:23:54) - Challenges in raising an institutional fund (00:25:45) - Building relationships with institutional investors (00:28:34) - Boots on the ground approach (00:29:39) - Understanding market nuances (00:33:27) - Organizational structure and outsourcing (00:38:12) - Impact of onshoring and reshoring (00:42:20) - Supply and demand dynamics in industrial real estate (00:47:18) - Inside a modern industrial warehouse (00:49:43) - Power constraints in modern warehouses (00:51:21) - Conclusion and final thoughts