It would be easy to say that now is a great time to be in the industrial real estate asset space. Demand, pricing, rents—they all favor the industry right now. As one example of the sector's great fundamentals: rents are projected to increase as much as 10% or more this year, per Prologis. But experts in this category do have some juggling to do. Tenants are eager for space and it is not easy to satisfy them all. Developable land for industrial use is relatively scarce and the prices for sale lease-backs are rising as developers are seeking out any property available for their purposes. Navigating this environment takes skill. With these challenges in mind, we have selected our annual group of industrial influencers. We choose, as we always do, based on accomplishments and impacts the influencers have made on the industry. As you read through these stories, we believe you will agree with our decisions, hard as they were to make.

INDIVIDUALS

ADAM ABUSHAGUR Adam Abushagur is one of the top players in the Southwest and Midwest industrial markets. He is the senior managing director of investments at Marcus & Millichap and the top industrial investment sales agent at the firm. Since 2017, he and his team have closed more than 200 transactions totaling $720 million in industrial properties—but it is not only his transaction activity that has made Abushagur a leader in the space. He single-handedly expanded the industrial market segment at Marcus & Millichap, drafting an industrial business plan that focuses on private buyers, rather than the institutional capital that most teams target. Abushagur has found tremendous opportunity working on owner-user and sale-leaseback deals, ultimately helping these business owners expand and strengthen the local economy. His team includes professionals that specialize in escrow, operations, marketing, research, strategy, analytics and data processing, and he has continued to expand into new and thriving industrial property types, such as cannabis and cold storage. Abushagur additionally launched a part-time internship program in order to expand his team and offer college students an immersive experience within the industry. Due to Abushagur's mentorship, his team members have found success both professionally and personally.

MICHAEL BLUNT Colliers recruited Michael Blunt three years ago after witnessing his impressive activity. Throughout his 25-year career, Blunt, who now serves as an EVP at the firm, has closed transactions totaling more than $10 billion, and in the years leading up to his recruitment, he had completed 100 million square feet of warehouse distribution transactions, in addition to deals in other asset classes. Since joining the firm, he has continued to achieve head-turning deals, like the $167 million sale of the 1,800-acre Keystone Industrial Port Complex in Fairless Hills, PA, on behalf of United States Steel Corp., or the $30 million sale/leaseback of 9900 Business Pkwy, a 156,000-square-foot last-mile industrial facility located in Lanham, MD. Blunt is also a leader outside of the deal table. He is known for being an optimistic team leader and a strategic planner as well as for his support of diversity, equity and inclusion in the commercial real estate industry. He recently spoke at a Black History event for the firm, saying, "The legacy of culture and achievement celebrated during Black History Month each year not only inspires me as a professional to persevere but also challenges me as a person to do my part to transcend, uplift and bequeath."