Don Pescara
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- Full Name
- Don G. Pescara
- Title
- Managing Director, Acquisitions
- Firm
- Griffin Capital Company, LLC
- Firm Type
- Real estate alternative investment manager
- Investment Stage
- Real estate acquisitions and development; no verified evidence found that he is an active seed-stage angel investor
- Check Size
- Verified Griffin-related property transactions naming Pescara range from approximately $13 million to $59.6 million; no personal angel check size found
- Target Company Profile
- Institutional-quality, income-generating real estate leased to established corporate tenants on long-term leases; historically single-tenant office, industrial, distribution, and R&D assets
- Sector Focus
- Commercial real estate; historically net-lease office and industrial assets, with Griffin Capital now focused on rental housing, multifamily, build-to-rent, and student housing
- Geographic Focus
- Midwestern U.S. responsibility noted in SEC filings; sourced deals also show activity in the Northeast, Southeast, and other U.S. markets
- Location
- Chicago, Illinois, United States
Background
Don G. Pescara is a real estate acquisitions executive associated with Griffin Capital. SEC filings identify him as Managing Director, Acquisitions, and state that he became Managing Director, Acquisitions in April 2019 after serving as Vice President, Acquisitions from November 2013 to April 2019. Earlier Griffin filings also describe him as Managing Director, Acquisitions for Griffin Capital’s advisor and sponsor, responsible for the sponsor’s Midwestern U.S. activities from the firm’s Chicago office.
Pescara joined Griffin Capital Corporation in January 1997. Before Griffin, he was a Director at Cohen Financial in the Capital Markets Unit, where his responsibilities included real estate financing, private placements of debt and equity, asset dispositions, and acquisitions for Cohen’s merchant banking group. Before Cohen, he was a Director at CB Commercial Mortgage Banking Group.
His career has centered on commercial real estate finance and acquisitions, including sale-leaseback transactions and structured lease bond financing. SEC filings describe him as a University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign graduate with a B.A. in Economics and a minor in Finance, a licensed Illinois real estate broker, and an active member of the Urban Land Institute, Mortgage Bankers Association, and International Council of Shopping Centers.
Investment Thesis & Focus
- Pescara’s sourced quotes emphasize long-term cash flow, tenant credit, and operationally important properties rather than venture-style startup investing.
- Griffin Capital’s historical net-lease strategy focused on “business essential” single-tenant office and industrial properties leased long term to creditworthy corporate tenants.
- In a 2012 Westinghouse acquisition announcement, Pescara said the deal met key metrics because “the tenant made a long term commitment,” the property was essential to the tenant’s operations, and the tenant was financially sound with a dominant industry position.
- In a 2018 Quaker/PepsiCo distribution-facility acquisition, Pescara highlighted a Class A industrial asset in a primary distribution hub with strong fundamentals and long-term cash flow.
- Current Griffin Capital materials describe the firm as using fundamental research, macro and micro market analysis, capital-markets knowledge, and disciplined diligence to acquire real estate opportunities.
- Griffin Capital’s current investment platform is focused on rental housing, including multifamily, build-to-rent, and student housing.
Notable Investments
- Quaker Sales and Distribution / PepsiCo facility, Lakeland, Florida: Griffin acquired a 605,412-square-foot Class A distribution warehouse for $59.6 million in March 2018; Pescara commented on the acquisition.
- Westinghouse Electric global headquarters office property, Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania: Griffin acquired a 117,968-square-foot Class A office building for $36.2 million in March 2012; Pescara described the asset as meeting Griffin’s acquisition metrics.
- GE Aviation Systems facility, Whippany, New Jersey: Griffin acquired a 114,300-square-foot assembly and manufacturing facility for $13 million in 2012; Pescara cited institutional quality, tenant credit, and lease characteristics.
- Vanguard Southeast Regional Headquarters and Parallon operations center, Charlotte, North Carolina and Largo, Florida: Griffin acquired two Class A office properties totaling $50.7 million in August 2014; Pescara discussed Griffin’s increased focus on the Southeast.
- Nokia Siemens Networks R&D facility, Arlington Heights, Illinois: Griffin acquired a 214,185-square-foot R&D facility for $29.54 million in 2017; Pescara said it met Griffin’s criteria for institutional-quality, income-generating properties leased long term to established corporate tenants.
- American Showa Assembly & Distribution Facility, Columbus, Ohio: Griffin Capital Essential Asset REIT II acquired the 304,000-square-foot facility for $17.2 million in June 2015; Pescara tied the deal to stable cash flow from creditworthy tenants with long-dated leases.
- HealthSpring MetroCenter campus, Nashville, Tennessee: Griffin acquired the two-building office campus for $36.4 million in 2013; Pescara cited the combination of a new build-to-suit property, a growing market, and a long-term lease to a creditworthy company.
- Quantum Foods industrial buildings, Bolingbrook, Illinois: Griffin acquired two industrial buildings totaling 265,000 square feet for $32.3 million in 2007; Pescara discussed the cap rate, lease, and tenant use.
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