By Joshua Burd
A new boutique advisory firm for industrial real estate has opened its doors, with a focus on sourcing institutional capital and private equity for deals in New Jersey and nationally.
Launched by Burry Klein, an experienced broker in the sector, the company known as Branch Industrial has offices in both Teaneck and Manhattan. The former vice president with Marc Belsky Ltd. is now offering services that include equity raising, advisory for buyers and tenant representation in the warehouse and logistics sector, citing Green Street data that the top six industrial brokerages had a market share of nearly 95 percent in 2022.
“The institutions have historically controlled most of the deal flow — however, over the past few years you are starting to see a lot of the boutique shops starting to make waves,” said Klein, Branch Industrial’s managing director. “I firmly believe that institutions need boutique players and alternate avenues into these markets.”
Klein started in the title insurance sector in 2017 and soon began to raise capital for high-net-worth individuals, he said, seeking to add value for clients. That led to general capital raising, paving the way for positions with New York-based firms such as Madison Commercial Real Estate Services and Marc Belsky Ltd.
All told, Klein has closed on sales with a combined value of more than $150 million, having also raised more than $150 million in equity. Additionally, he has represented clients in transactions valued at more than $420 million and spanning more than 2.5 million square feet of industrial space.
His transactions have included representing the buyer of a site in Millstone that supported 180,000 square feet of new development, Klein said. He also advised both parties in a deal in which Saxum Real Estate sold a 524,000-square-foot facility in Savannah, Georgia, to Thor Equities Group for $49 million.
