Wharton Industrial recently acquired the Twinbridge Industrial Park and Veterans Industrial Park in Pennsauken as part of a joint venture with an investment fund affiliated with Walton Street Capital LLC — Courtesy: Colliers International
By Joshua Burd
A real estate investment firm has made two new hires to support its growing industrial portfolio in New Jersey and the surrounding region.
The new additions for Wharton Industrial, a platform of New York-based Wharton Equity Partners, include Scott X. Guo as senior vice president and head of acquisitions and Nick Aileo as associate. Guo will lead all origination and underwriting activity for Wharton Industrial, while Aileo will support sourcing, underwriting and execution of all transactions.
Both will report directly to Peter C. Lewis, president of Wharton Industrial, as the firm adds to its holdings of last-mile and big-box distribution centers across the Northeast and the Southeast.
“As the rise of e-commerce and other shifts in consumer behavior continue to fuel rapid growth in the industrial sector, it is more important than ever to have skilled acquisition and leasing professionals like Scott and Nick here at Wharton,” Lewis said. “Their combined expertise will be critical as we expand our industrial platform and create vital last-mile distribution centers, cold storage facilities and other first-class properties in our target markets. We are extremely thankful to have both of them on board as we continue to fulfill our vision to shape the next phase of this rapidly evolving market.”
Guo previously worked at Exeter Property Group, where he spearheaded acquisitions and leasing for a portfolio of more than 24 million square feet of industrial and office assets in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts, according to a news release. While at Exeter, he helped to acquire and develop 3.4 million square feet of big-box, last-mile, infill and flex industrial space and stabilized 3.8 million square feet of value-add space in the Northeast, raising portfolio occupancy from 78 to 94 percent.
The firm added that, as a captain with the U.S. Army, Guo led two infantry platoons through 21 months of combat, global advisory and training missions. He holds an MBA with a concentration in finance and real estate from Cornell University, plus a bachelor’s in international relations and history from Boston University.
“After studying Wharton’s activity in the market for quite some time, I was eager to join an entrepreneurial team that has already positioned itself at the forefront of the country’s industrial and last-mile delivery markets,” Guo said. “Having worked extensively across the Northeast, I’m honored to work alongside so many experienced and talented professionals in this sector, and look forward to lending my unique skills to continue the firm’s incredible momentum in the years to come.”
Aileo is a former senior analyst with Saxum Real Estate, where he underwrote acquisition and ground-up development opportunities valued at over $2 billion to date, the news release said. His focus included cold storage industrial, office and multifamily and mixed-use, along with select retail, student housing and hotel deals, including nearly $450 million of current development projects.
Prior to Saxum, Aileo was a financial analyst with Avison Young. He received his bachelor’s in business administration, with a focus on real estate and finance, from Villanova University.
Guo will be based in Philadelphia, one of Wharton’s most active target markets, while Aileo will work from the New York office to focus on the firm’s northern New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut pipeline. The new hires follow a year of several notable deals for the company, including the sale of the 283,000-square-foot SoPhi Logistics Center in Philadelphia, occupied by Amazon, to GLP Capital Partners in November.
The firm has also completed industrial sales in Central Florida and Atlanta, while acquiring a 32-building, 1.1 million-square-foot industrial portfolio in Pennsauken.
