Specialized Small-Bay Flex Industrial & Institutional Advisory
Shield Real Estate sponsors disciplined, supply-constrained value-add acquisitions while delivering tier-1 financial modeling, asset management, and due diligence advisory to select partners across the Midwest and Southeast.
Shield Investments: A Focused Strategy
Targeting small-bay and flex industrial — one of the most supply-constrained, resilient, and highest-performing segments in U.S. commercial real estate.
Shallow-Bay & Flex Industrial
Buildings demisable to sub-10,000 SF dramatically reduce vacancy risk and re-leasing downtime. With new construction near zero and replacement cost exceeding $180-$220/SF, the supply-demand imbalance is structural, not cyclical.
Stable Secondary Markets
We focus on high-stability economic centers across Ohio, Indiana, Florida, and the Carolinas. These markets offer attractive acquisition cap rates, durable regional tenant bases, and insulation from coastal volatility.
Active Value-Add Playbook
Our playbook spans four proven paths: lease-up and stabilization of under-managed suites, mark-to-market rent escalations, conversion of obsolete assets to shallow-bay flex, and disciplined infill development.
Multi-Tenant Resilience
Our multi-tenant focus staggers lease rollovers and diversifies income across diverse regional industries, producing defensive cash flows that preserve capital across all economic cycles.
Strategic Real Estate Advisory
Expert guidance at every stage of the commercial real estate investment lifecycle for investors, family offices, and operators.
Financial Modeling & Argus DCF
Building rigorous, deal-specific Excel and Argus-based pro formas that stress-test recovery structures, base years, capital plans, and waterfall promotes before you commit equity.
- Argus Enterprise / Argus 10 lease-by-lease modeling
- Dynamic LP/GP waterfall distribution models
- Debt sizing, DSCR, and debt yield stress testing
- Detailed recovery pool and expense stop audits
Due Diligence Coordination
Orchestrating the complete due diligence lifecycle across legal, environmental, engineering, and financial workstreams to protect equity capital and eliminate closing blindspots.
- Complete lease abstracting & estoppel verification
- Phase I/II ESA and Property Condition Assessment (PCA)
- ALTA survey, title policy, and zoning compliance reviews
- Virtual Data Room architecture & NDA management
Hands-On Asset Management
Active asset oversight and ongoing investor reporting designed to maximize Net Operating Income (NOI), optimize leasing velocity, and safeguard terminal asset valuations.
- Lease negotiation & tenant credit underwriting
- Real estate tax assessment appeal coordination
- Quarterly LP partner reporting & cash distribution models
- Operating expense audits & vendor contract renegotiation
Pitch Decks & Marketing Packages
Crafting institutional-quality capital materials, including compelling investment offering memoranda, executive summaries, and pitch decks that tell your deal's real estate story.
- Institutional Offering Memoranda (OM) production
- LP Syndication & Co-GP Term Sheet structuring
- Detailed submarket demographic & rent comp studies
- Interactive digital deal room setup and investor onboarding
About Michael Plaspohl
Commercial real estate sponsor, acquisition principal, and founder of Shield Real Estate.
Michael Plaspohl is a seasoned commercial real estate investment professional with nearly 15 years of deep expertise across acquisitions, pro forma underwriting, syndication, and hands-on asset management.
Prior to founding Shield Real Estate, Michael served as Vice President of Acquisitions and Asset Management at Realife Management Group, leading the full investment lifecycle, expanding the firm into 5 new regional markets throughout the Midwest and Southeast, and growing the portfolio to over $400 million in assets. Previously, Michael worked at Weston Inc., a premier industrial owner-operator with over 20 million square feet under management.
His career spans private equity syndication, corporate banking, and commercial brokerage. Michael is passionate about discovering resilient, high-performing small-bay industrial and flex portfolios that are overlooked or undervalued by institutional capital, pairing disciplined acquisitions with institutional-grade reporting.
Michael Plaspohl: Career Acquisition Experience
Selected major commercial acquisitions, recapitalizations, and repositionings led throughout Michael Plaspohl's career as an acquisition professional and Vice President of Acquisitions prior to founding Shield Real Estate.
Acquisition of a flagship 7-building flex and warehouse industrial portfolio in Indianapolis's premier northwest industrial corridor.
Acquisition of a premier 5-building, 650,000 SF Class A office campus with institutional credit tenancy and value-add leasing upside.
Combined off-market acquisitions of industrial warehouse, industrial outdoor storage (IOS), and flex properties.
Acquisition of a 2-building portfolio for industrial repositioning and lease optimization in the high-velocity Central Florida market.
Acquisition of a 4-building, 200,000 SF flex portfolio in Cincinnati's premier commercial submarket.
Led full acquisition lifecycles, institutional underwriting, lender negotiations, and value-add asset executions across regional portfolios.
Start a Conversation
Whether you are exploring capital co-investment, seeking advisory support, or evaluating an acquisition opportunity, we welcome the discussion.