Questions clients ask before they hire us.

We are an industrial real estate advisory team at Lee & Associates in Irvine, California, led by Justin Smith, SIOR. We represent companies that lease or buy warehouse, distribution and manufacturing space, owners and investors who lease or sell industrial buildings, and companies deciding where their facilities should be as part of their supply chain.

Companies that occupy industrial space and want the building decision tied to how their operation actually runs: distributors, manufacturers, 3PLs, e-commerce and food companies. Also owners, owner-users and investors buying, selling or leasing industrial property. Most of our work is in Orange County and Los Angeles County, and we have completed assignments in 104 cities across 20 states.

We start with the operation, not the building: inbound and outbound freight, labor, throughput, dock and clear-height needs, and where customers are. Justin holds a Master of Supply Chain Management from the University of Arkansas alongside an MBA and Master of Real Estate Development from USC, and hosts the Industrial Insights podcast, 100+ conversations with operators, 3PLs, developers and investors.

For most industrial tenants, 18 to 24 months before expiration. That window leaves time to test the market, give the landlord a real alternative, and move if moving is the better answer. Larger or specialized buildings (power, cold storage, heavy manufacturing) can need longer.

On most industrial leases the brokerage fee is paid by the landlord under its listing agreement, so tenants usually do not pay us directly. On purchases and sales the fee is set out in a written agreement before work begins. We confirm how we are paid, in writing, at the start of every engagement.

In each engagement we represent one side. If a client becomes interested in a building we also represent, we disclose it in writing before anything moves forward, as California law requires, and the client decides how to proceed. Working both sides is also why our advice is specific: we know what landlords accept because we negotiate for them too.

Our client work ranges from small multi-tenant suites to large distribution buildings and multi-building portfolios, for local family businesses up to national and institutional clients.

Orange County is home: more than 500 of our assignments have been in 30 Orange County cities. We also work across Los Angeles County, especially the Mid-Counties (Santa Fe Springs, La Mirada, Norwalk, Cerritos), and nationally through the Lee & Associates network, most often following existing clients to new markets.

Justin Smith, SIOR, Senior Vice President and Principal, leads every engagement, with Grant LaBounty, Senior Vice President, and Chris Vassilian, Vice President. You work directly with the principals.

Call (949) 400-4786 or use the contact page. The first conversation is free and confidential. We will tell you plainly whether we are the right fit.