MDH Partners enters Westside – Los Angeles Business Journal

An industrial real estate investment company based in Atlanta MDH Partners opened an office in Santa Monica, putting down roots in Southern California, announcing plans to expand its West Coast presence to all major markets in California, as well as Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and Reno.

The company opened an office in Dallas five years ago. Los Angeles now designates its third outpost.

“The West Coast was the next logical expansion for us.” Jeff Littlepresident and CEO of MDH Partners, said. “We wanted to approach our expansion very carefully. The West Coast for industrial real estate is one of the largest markets in the country, and really in the world, because of the dynamics of the ports there, in Los Angeles and Long Beach, in addition to just the very large population and dynamic development of California.”

In 2021, MDH acquired two industrial business parks totaling 211,000 square feet in Riverside, marking the company’s first foray into California. The company currently owns nearly 700,000 square feet of industrial assets in the Inland Empire alone and owns or manages a total of approximately 24 million square feet in 30 separate markets throughout the United States

“I think it’s really about taking our philosophy that we’ve done well with in other markets and focusing on building local relationships even though we’re an out-of-town company,” Small said. “We do a lot of off-market deals based on relationships, our reputation for doing what we say we will do, and how easy it is to work with. It’s really about increasing our long-term presence in Los Angeles.”

Due to team building, the company started operating in a coworking space in Santa Monica. He plans to eventually settle in a more permanent place.

“The great thing about coworking is it allows us to come in quickly and start moving,” Small said. “We are ready to start making deals today.”

James Hwang leads MDH’s Southern California operations, opening acquisition opportunities in several West Coast markets. Hwang joined MDH last month after spending more than seven years at Sawtelle Rexford Industrial Realty Inc. where he was involved in the closing of over 11 million square feet with a total value of $2.7 billion.

MDH’s expansion comes shortly after the company announced the closing of its latest fund, with $1.2 billion in equity capital and approximately $3 billion in purchasing power, of which MDH plans to invest in industrial and logistics properties for its institutional investors.

And even though some local developers have left Los Angeles due to regulations like Measure ULA and high interest rates, MDH Partners remains opportunistic and forward-thinking.

“We are very excited and optimistic about the opportunities in Los Angeles,” Small said. “I feel like sometimes your market can get a bad rap – some of the growth you’ve seen in Texas likes to hit California, but California isn’t going anywhere. It’s an amazing market and we’re excited to find some really good opportunities to be in it for the long term.”