2022 Year in Review: David Skinner, The Stubblebine Company

What person, project, transaction or market trend had the greatest impact on your industry this year?
Industrial real estate has been totally reshaped for a number of reasons, but specifically Amazon’s change in corporate strategy in subleasing some notable distribution centers has shifted the view on industrial real estate most acutely.

What was your most important professional accomplishment or most notable project, deal, or transaction in 2022?
I am most proud of finding a new home for City Fresh Foods, a Boston-based meal service provider. City Fresh has been renting space for over 20 years, but I was able to find them an off-market site that we then negotiated to turn into an industrial condominium sale. It was the most complex and difficult deal in which I have participated, and it could not have been for a better company and mission. From sourcing to closing, the process took about 20 months. As most deals go, it died probably 5 times and was at the mercy of countless boards, commissions, and approvals, finally closing this summer.

How has your career path changed in 2022?
Most organizations deal with “mission creep.” I have experienced this in my personal practice focus over the last few years and have had great coaches that have directly confronted this. Because of these coaches, I have doubled down on my focus: representing industrial real estate owners in the Boston. I am growing a referral network of trusted partners to share business rather than getting caught up in projects that will not ultimately help me best serve the clients I am best focused to serve.