About Commerce Realty

Commerce Realty is a privately owned real estate investment company that is experienced in the acquisition, development, redevelopment, management, financing and leasing of commercial real estate. Based in Redondo Beach, California, the company primarily focuses on shopping centers, single-tenant net lease properties, distribution warehouses and multifamily properties. Commerce Realty and its investment partners own and operate portfolios of well-located, strong-performing assets throughout the Western Unites States and Texas.

 

History

Nearly 70 years ago, George L. Graziadio Jr. set out to create a best-in-class real estate investment company based upon two guiding principles: “If better is possible, good is not enough,” and “Today, not tomorrow” (TNT). Graziadio founded Commerce Realty in 1946 after obtaining his real estate broker’s license. The company initially developed homes and duplexes in the South Bay and surrounding Los Angeles communities.

With an unstoppable entrepreneurial spirit, Graziadio also sold insurance, organized a financing and factoring company and moonlighted as an auctioneer on weekends. Graziadio met his long-time business partner, George Eltinge, in 1958, and the duo hit the ground running. In addition to founding Imperial Bank together in 1963, the pair – dubbed “The Two Georges” by those who knew them – sought out to develop, own and operate shopping centers in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties.

They hit their first major milestone in 1962 when The Georges became the first to bring a Kmart shopping center to the Western United States. The pair capitalized on this momentum, eventually expanding their operation into 21 states and more than 100 developments, many of which featured Kmart shopping centers.

 

Today

Commerce Realty carries on Graziadio’s lasting legacy today. Almost seven decades later, it is still guided by its founder’s unwavering desire to continually improve upon the status quo by executing every task with a keen sense of urgency. The current members of the Commerce Realty team are also savvy real estate investors who are constantly identifying value where others fail to see opportunity. We pride ourselves on our ability to discover creative solutions that solve emerging business issues.

The firm’s commercial real estate portfolio now includes more than 1 million square feet of assets that were acquired through key investments and strategic property development. Commerce Realty is committed to consistently adding value by identifying high-caliber investment, development, redevelopment and operational opportunities.