Loeffler Capital's commercial real estate assets total more than $200 million. (Michael Woods)
TJ Leffler He founded Leffler Capital, a commercial real estate investment company, in September 2021. He previously spent 15 years at Cushman & Wakefield in Rogers and Sage Partners.
Loeffler earned a degree in finance and real estate from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 2006.
What drew you to commercial real estate investing?
I have been involved in commercial real estate for about 18 years. About six years ago, I started getting asked to partner with clients and buy properties to help them understand the investment part of real estate. I caught the bug quickly and enjoy fully investing in myself and others in things that I feel are worthwhile. I put my money on the line and am seriously working on a project that oversees monthly reporting, management and tenant issues, and ultimately the sale if it happens.
What are some of the projects you are involved in?
All of our projects are located in Arkansas, with most located in Northwest Arkansas. In Little Rock, he is working on improvements to the Riverdale Shopping Center and the ATG/US Bank Building in downtown North Little Rock. In northwest Arkansas, there are about 30 warehouse buildings scattered across major cities, including a Citizens Bank office building in Rogers, several commercial buildings in downtown Bentonville, and a University of Arkansas building in Fayetteville. There are quite a few apartments and townhomes surrounding the area. All of these properties are managed by me primarily for a partnership group of investors in Arkansas. All told, we own about 60 or so buildings across the state.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Every day is a new day. There are always new opportunities and the sky is the limit. Sometimes you feel overwhelmed and things don't go your way, but after a few days something great can happen. The people I work with are also fun. I've always felt blessed that the people I work with are people I really like, are friends with, and share the same drive to make great investments.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
Several fellow real estate investors have always told me how important it is to add value. Each transaction requires a lot of things: information, effort, and money. Anyone can do this business and participate in the project if they can find a way to add value to certain elements of the transaction.
What is the biggest challenge in your job?
Most commercial projects take a lot of time to figure out and sometimes things don't work out, even though you put a lot of effort into the deal. You can get tired of something and spend months trying to figure out something that wasn't meant to be. It also takes enough courage to make a serious statement by investing your hard-earned money in a project that has no guarantee of a return.
