LAS VEGAS–Stan Johnson, the founder of his namesake company (booth S241 at RECon), gives his perspective on how retail real estate's net-lease sector has changed and performed successfully. He talks about how far the firm has reached in its 30 years and the way his company has changed with this evolving sector.

GlobeSt.com: I see that your company has just reached its 30-year anniversary. How has the net lease market changed in the past 30 years?

Stan Johnson: When Stan Johnson Company started in 1985, net lease was not a recognized niche within commercial real estate. There were no firms specializing in this space and little awareness, so I spent a lot of time educating owners and investors about how a net lease works and the benefits of this type of investment. Since then, I have seen the market grow tremendously from a little-known $5-billion market to a very popular $50-billion market. Having focused on net lease exclusively over the past 30 years, I have been fortunate enough to have had a front row seat as the industry has developed. More recently, due to greater awareness of the investment type combined with tepid interest rates over the past several years, the net lease market has become increasingly popular. Investors are always seeking risk-adjusted yield, and net lease is clearly delivering.