Infrastructure determines outcomes. Before a site is selected, before capital is committed, we surface the logic that supports or undermines your decision — and act on it with precision.
Select Clients
Industrial Strategic Partners operates at the intersection of industrial real estate, logistics infrastructure, and economic development. We advise manufacturers, logistics operators, developers, and capital groups on the decisions that define competitive position for decades.
The work is strategic before it is transactional. That distinction is the foundation of everything we do.
Our team brings together disciplines that are rarely unified under one practice: corporate site selection, multimodal infrastructure strategy, port authority operations, industrial brokerage, and economic development policy. Each engagement draws on that depth.
Meet the TeamEvery ISP engagement is guided by RAPP — our proprietary methodology for evaluating sites across the four critical infrastructure dimensions that determine whether a location performs or quietly underperforms.
Not just proximity — usability and value. Class I and shortline access, spur availability, intermodal proximity, commodity alignment, and rail-served site readiness.
Freight cost · Supply chain flexibility · Long-term scalability
Speed, access, and connectivity. Commercial airports, cargo capacity, freight capabilities, executive aviation access, and workforce accessibility.
Time-sensitive logistics · Leadership mobility · Talent access
Global connectivity and throughput. Distance to port, capacity and congestion, drayage time and cost, import/export alignment, and container versus bulk.
Global supply chain · Import/export cost · Reliability
The most overlooked and most critical. Available capacity, redundancy, speed to delivery, utility provider strength, and cost structure.
Ability to operate at scale · Speed to production · Long-term risk
Across all four dimensions, ISP navigates regulatory environments, zoning and permitting processes, and brownfield reclamation — the foundational considerations that determine whether infrastructure proximity translates into operational reality.
A standardized scoring system — 1 to 5 per category, 20 total — that quantifies infrastructure alignment across Rail, Air, Port, and Power. Scores are weighted by client need. A manufacturer with heavy rail requirements weights Rail and Power more heavily. A distribution operation prioritizes Port and Air. The score becomes a common language for comparing otherwise incomparable sites.
A designation for sites scoring 16 to 20, indicating strong infrastructure alignment across all four categories. This designation reflects sites where infrastructure is not a constraint — where you can operate at scale without fighting the fundamentals of location.
A client deliverable that provides score breakdown, detailed infrastructure insights, competitive advantages, identified risks, and strategic recommendation. The report becomes your documentation for why a decision was made — defensible internally, credible to stakeholders, and informed by rigorous methodology.
Each RAPP dimension is supported by practitioners who have spent careers inside these industries — not observing them from the outside.
Rail infrastructure is the most technically complex and most frequently misread dimension of industrial site selection. ISP's Rail Advisory practice is led by practitioners with direct Class I and shortline operating experience, federal program expertise, and a track record of structuring rail-served site programs that attract and retain industrial users. We evaluate spur availability, commodity alignment, interchange access, and rail capital strategy — and we navigate the regulatory and permitting environments that determine whether rail service is operationally real or merely theoretical.
Air access is not simply proximity to a commercial airport. ISP's Air Advisory practice evaluates cargo capacity, freight capability, executive aviation access, and workforce connectivity — the full picture of how air infrastructure supports industrial operations. We assess the zoning, permitting, and development landscape surrounding airport-adjacent industrial sites, including air-cargo dependent development and the logistics positioning that connects aviation infrastructure to supply chain strategy.
Port Gateways are geographic regions that act as hubs in global trade and domestic transportation — and they represent a significant growth sector for industrial real estate services that has historically been underserved by the brokerage community.
The Port Gateway sector is defined by transactions between local, regional, and global entities. Real estate is often a key element of these transactions, yet brokers have traditionally been excluded — as the specialized operational considerations go beyond the conventional brokerage model. ISP's Port Advisory practice changes that. Our advisors bring over 20 years of direct experience within the public port authority space, with the expertise to operate as a guide and translator between specialized port entities and the brokers who serve these markets. We help clients understand true market value, set appropriate lease rates, align tariffs, and benchmark performance — with fluency in both the public and private dimensions of port real estate.
Power is the most overlooked and most consequential dimension of industrial site selection. Available capacity, speed to delivery, utility provider reliability, redundancy, and cost structure determine whether a site can support operations at scale — and whether it can do so on a timeline that matches a client's go-live requirements. ISP's Power Advisory practice works directly with power companies and electric utilities on site development strategy, mega-site positioning, and industrial site programs that align available capacity with market demand. We also navigate the regulatory environments, zoning classifications, and permitting pathways that govern how quickly and cost-effectively power infrastructure can be brought to a site.
Every engagement begins before geography enters the conversation. We learn your operation, objectives, constraints, and non-negotiables — what your supply chain demands, what your growth trajectory requires, and what failure looks like. This is the foundation on which every subsequent decision rests.
We define target markets based on infrastructure alignment with your requirements — not a broad geographic search, but a disciplined identification of the markets where Rail, Air, Port, and Power (RAPP) converge with your operational profile. Candidate locations are selected with purpose.
We apply the RAPP Framework to every candidate location. Sites are scored across all four infrastructure dimensions, weighted to your specific operational profile. Strengths are documented. Risks are quantified. Regulatory, zoning, permitting, and brownfield considerations are assessed. The analysis is primary-source and defensible.
We deliver a clear, documented recommendation — not just where to locate, but why. The RAPP Report provides score breakdowns, infrastructure risk rankings, incentive positioning guidance, and a strategic recommendation your team can defend to any stakeholder. You move forward with confidence, not assumption.
We support execution alongside your real estate, legal, and infrastructure partners — ensuring the advisory and transactional layers remain aligned. We remain available to provide analytical clarity, facilitate utility and carrier conversations, and coordinate with economic development organizations throughout the transaction.
ISP's engagement does not end at site selection. We support the transition from decision to occupancy — navigating permitting timelines, infrastructure delivery milestones, and the operational considerations that determine whether a location performs as planned from day one.
Once you are in your location, the infrastructure landscape continues to evolve. ISP remains a long-term advisory resource — monitoring infrastructure changes, identifying expansion opportunities, and ensuring your location continues to support your competitive position as your operation grows. For sustain-tier services including tax recovery, expense optimization, and operational cost reduction, visit our partners at Path to Profit Partners.
Every engagement is guided by one principle: the right location, documented and defensible. Our process exists to eliminate assumption and replace it with evidence.
From initial concept through occupancy and beyond — ISP stays with you.
Defining where a business should operate based on infrastructure alignment, market access, and long-term operational requirements. We work backward from your needs to identify where infrastructure supports your competitive position.
Rigorous assessment of candidate sites against infrastructure, logistics, workforce, and scalability criteria. Our evaluation measures how well each location supports your operational requirements and strategic objectives.
Deep evaluation of Rail, Air, Port, and Power (RAPP) access. We quantify infrastructure value and help you understand the true cost and operational implications of each location before a commitment is made.
Strategic guidance on state and local incentive programs, structured to support the location decision rather than drive it. We help you understand what is realistically available and how to position it strategically.
Advisory on expansion, consolidation, and long-term footprint optimization for multi-site operators. Infrastructure-focused analysis needed for defensible decisions across a mature or evolving network.
Guidance for developers and economic development organizations on positioning industrial properties for market success. We help you understand what infrastructure strengths matter most to tenants and how to position them competitively.
Industrial Strategic Partners works with diverse organizations across the industrial ecosystem. Whether you are a manufacturer, warehouse operator, railroad, port authority, utility company, or airport — we bring infrastructure expertise and strategic advisory to strengthen your location decisions and position for long-term success.
Companies & End Users
We help manufacturers secure infrastructure-aligned locations that support long-term operational efficiency. Whether expanding, relocating, or building new, every site recommendation is grounded in the RAPP Framework.
Sites optimized for efficient movement of goods — strategic transportation access, reliable utilities, and scalable infrastructure positioned for supply chain performance.
We help companies establish and expand their footprint worldwide — whether entering the U.S. market or extending operations across international markets. Strategic site selection, infrastructure planning, incentive positioning, and regulatory guidance ensure every location decision aligns with a global operational strategy, from initial market entry through full facility deployment.
Infrastructure Organizations
We work with Class I railroads and shortline operators on industrial site identification programs, product development, and strategic positioning of rail-served properties. From mega rail industrial sites to intermodal facilities, we help railroads grow their commercial footprint.
Advisory services for airport authorities and air-cargo dependent development, connecting aviation infrastructure with industrial and logistics site strategy.
We serve port authorities through industrial site identification, commercial positioning of on-port and off-port properties, product development services, and strategic programs to attract port-dependent industry.
We advise power companies and electric utilities on site development strategy, mega-site positioning, and industrial site programs that align available capacity with market demand.
ISP operates as an extension of your team — embedded in your objectives, aligned with your timelines, and accountable to your outcomes. By leveraging our expertise in infrastructure evaluation, incentive negotiation, and data-driven insights, we streamline complex processes, reduce risks, and maximize opportunities for growth. The result is advisory that saves time, drives success, and creates long-term value for your business and the communities you operate in.
Established brokerage relationships across key industrial markets. We coordinate site selection with execution — ensuring the advisory and transactional layers align.
We work alongside state and regional development organizations to connect client requirements with available sites, incentive programs, and community readiness.
Strategic referral relationships with legal counsel and incentive specialists who operate at the intersection of deal structuring and public policy.
Engineering, environmental, and logistics partners who extend ISP's analytical depth into the technical disciplines that underpin every location decision.
We work alongside public transit agencies, metropolitan planning organizations, highway authorities, and private transportation operators whose infrastructure directly shapes industrial site viability and long-term operational access.
ISP helps site selectors streamline the complex process of finding the perfect location for their clients. From site research and infrastructure analysis to risk mitigation around the real estate component of the deal, we provide expert support so you can focus on all the details surrounding demographics, incentives, and geopolitical data. Partner with us to deliver smarter, faster, and more profitable site solutions.
Hal Johnson, SIOR
Founding Principal
Site Selection · Economic Development · Infrastructure Strategy
Trish Haver
Principal, Rail & Multimodal Infrastructure
Rail · Port · Multimodal Strategy
Jacob Crist
Principal, Gulf Coast & Maritime Industrial
Port Logistics · Maritime Industrial · Infrastructure Finance
Kenny Thompson
Broker & Research Specialist
Data · Market Research · Deal Execution
Infrastructure-driven location decisions are complex. ISP provides the strategic clarity that precedes your real estate transaction.