Elmdale Partners
Elmdale Partners is a Skokie, IL-based vertically integrated real estate investment firm founded in 2010 that acquires and operates self-storage (StorSafe, $250MM+ AUM), industrial (Small Bay), brokerage (largest Century 21 franchise globally), and title insurance (Acuity) businesses, delivering 25.1% IRR to accredited investors across 75+ closed transactions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersSkokie, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Elmdale Partners does
Elmdale Partners is a Skokie, Illinois-based real estate investment firm and platform builder founded in 2010 by Tom Bretz (Co-Founder & CEO) and Adam Freeman (Co-Founder, President and CFO). The firm identifies fragmented or underperforming spaces in real estate and adjacent real-estate services, acquires the underlying businesses or assets, and applies institutional-grade management to make them investable and ultimately saleable to larger capital groups. It targets accredited real estate investors and 1031 exchange participants, and is recognized as one of the largest privately held companies in Chicagoland (Crain's Chicago Business Fast 50; Chicago Innovation Awards).
The platform is operated through a stack of wholly owned subsidiaries rather than a unified software product. StorSafe Self Storage anchors the real estate side with 31 owned and managed facilities, 12,700+ units, 1.5MM+ NRSF, and $250MM+ in self-storage assets under management, expanding across the Midwest, Sunbelt, and nationwide. Small Bay Industrial is a new industrial vertical with its first asset planned for 2026 and two ground-up development sites underway in Florida and Indiana. Adjacent operating businesses include the largest Century 21 franchise in the world (2,800+ sales associates across 5 states, ~11,000 transactions/year), Acuity Title Services (12 locations, 12,000+ closings annually; one of the largest title insurers in the Midwest), Skylight Insurance, and Titanium Investment Group. The firm historically operated Elmspring, the first US real estate technology accelerator, which was sold to the National Association of Realtors in 2016 and then to private investors in 2023.
Elmdale's revenue model is transaction- and asset-based across multiple streams: (i) rental income and asset appreciation from owned self-storage and industrial real estate (subscription-like recurring rent from 12,700+ units), (ii) franchise/transaction economics from Century 21 brokerage activity, (iii) transaction fees from Acuity Title's closings, and (iv) investment management fees and realized gains on its own principal investments. Investor capital is sourced through the JuniperSquare investor portal and 1031 exchange intermediary relationships. Across its investment activity, the firm reports a 25.1% IRR and 1.89x MOIC over 75+ closed transactions.
Elmdale Partners firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Elmdale Partners
- Legal name
- Elmdale Partners
- Website
- https://elmdalepartners.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Elmdale Partners is a Skokie, IL-based vertically integrated real estate investment firm founded in 2010 that acquires and operates self-storage (StorSafe, $250MM+ AUM), industrial (Small Bay), brokerage (largest Century 21 franchise globally), and title insurance (Acuity) businesses, delivering 25.1% IRR to accredited investors across 75+ closed transactions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Elmdale Partners industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commercial Real Estate Investment
- NAICS
- Other Activities Related to Real Estate (531390), Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (5312), Lessors of Other Real Estate Property (53119)
- SIC
- Real Estate Dealers (For Their Own Account) (6532), Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Investment Advice (6282), Investors, Nec (6799)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Real Estate Investment Advisory (Acquisitions/Dispositions, Capital Allocation) (BPAJANAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Value-Add & Opportunistic Real Estate (FSAAAKAB), Residential Investment Property Brokerage (SFR/Small Multifamily) (BPAJAAAE)
Keywords
Where Elmdale Partners is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Skokie
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Elmdale Partners business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Real Estate Investment Returns: The firm generates returns through acquiring underperforming assets, improving them operationally and physically, and delivering superior risk-adjusted returns to investors. Revenue comes from asset appreciation, rental income, and eventual property sales.
- Brokerage Operations: Century 21 Brokerage franchise operations generating transaction-based revenue through residential real estate brokerage services across 5 states with 2,800+ sales associates.
- Title Insurance Services: Acuity Title Services provides national title insurance with operations scaled to 12 locations handling 12,000+ closings annually.
- Self-Storage Operations: StorSafe Self Storage brand operates 31 owned and managed facilities with 12,700+ units generating rental income and asset appreciation.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Elmdale Partners product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Elmdale Partners is a vertically integrated real estate investment firm that acquires underperforming commercial real estate assets and transforms them into profitable, institutional-grade ventures for accredited investors. Its core offerings span direct real estate investment funds, 1031 exchange replacement properties, self-storage operations (StorSafe, 31 facilities, 12,700+ units, $250MM+ AUM), small bay industrial development (Small Bay Industrial), and adjacent real estate services including Century 21 brokerage, Acuity Title Services, and Skylight Insurance, distributed through the JuniperSquare investor portal.
Product overview
Elmdale Partners operates as a vertically integrated real estate investment platform built around multiple business units. The core platform identifies undervalued commercial real estate opportunities across self-storage, multi-family, office, industrial, medical office, and retail sectors, applying institutional-level management to transform fragmented industries. Key products include the StorSafe Self Storage brand (31 facilities, 12,700+ units), Small Bay Industrial, and the 1031 Exchange Services. Former ventures include Elmspring venture accelerator (sold 2016 to NAR, 2023 to private investors), Century 21 Brokerage franchise, Acuity Title Services, and Skylight Insurance. The company leverages its CORE PLATFORM architecture to manage operations across these diverse real estate and real estate services offerings.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- StorSafe: Self-storage brand operated by Elmdale Partners, with 31 owned and managed facilities, 12,700+ units, and 1.5MM+ NRSF.
Products and services
- Elmdale Partners Investment Platform Vertically integrated real estate investment platform that identifies undervalued commercial real estate opportunities across self-storage, multi-family, office, industrial, medical office, and retail and transforms them into institutional-grade ventures for accredited investors, accessed via the JuniperSquare investor portal.
- StorSafe Self Storage Self-storage brand operated by Elmdale Partners with 31 owned and managed facilities, 12,700+ units, 1.5MM+ NRSF, and $250MM+ in self-storage assets under management, expanding across Midwest, Sunbelt, and nationwide.
- Small Bay Industrial Small bay industrial real estate investment brand focused on Midwest and Southeast US markets, with first asset purchase in 2026 and 2 ground-up development sites in progress in FL and IN.
- Century 21 Brokerage Largest Century 21 franchise in the world, ranked 16th among US residential brokerages with 11,000 transactions per year and 2,800+ sales associates across 5 states.
- Acuity Title Services National title insurance company scaled to 12 locations handling 12,000+ closings annually; one of the largest title insurers in the Midwest.
- Skylight Insurance Insurance services brand operating as part of Elmdale Partners' portfolio of real estate-related businesses.
- 1031 Exchange Services Tax-deferred exchange services allowing real estate investors to swap one investment property for another without triggering immediate tax bills, compliant with IRS Section 1031 safe harbor rules, supported by 75+ transactions closed.
- Titanium Investment Group Investment vehicle managing Elmdale Partners' self-storage portfolio with assets across multiple regions.
Quantifiable outcome
- 25.1% IRR across total portfolio
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Elmdale Partners
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Elmdale Partners technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Elmdale Partners partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Century 21coreElmdale Partners operates the largest Century 21 franchise in the world and is the 16th largest US residential brokerage by transactions (11,000 transactions/year) with 2,800+ sales associates across 5 states.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Elmdale Partners competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Marcus & Millichap: A leading commercial real estate investment sales brokerage serving investors with brokerage, financing, and research. Directly comparable to Elmdale in delivering investment-focused real estate services to commercial investors, including in similar property types and geographies.
- Walker & Dunlop: A commercial real estate finance and investment sales firm focused on multifamily and other CRE assets. Comparable to Elmdale in its focus on serving commercial real estate investors with capital and advisory across property types.
- Newmark Group: A full-service commercial real estate advisory and investment sales firm. Comparable to Elmdale's vertically integrated commercial real estate services and investment orientation across multiple property sectors.
- Northmarq: A privately held commercial real estate investment sales, debt brokerage, and equity platform. Directly comparable to Elmdale in its focus on mid-market commercial real estate investment transactions and integrated debt/equity capabilities.
Broad incumbents
- CBRE Group: The world's largest commercial real estate services firm offering investment sales, leasing, property management, and investment management. Overlaps broadly with Elmdale's vertically integrated CRE services but at global institutional scale.
- JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle): A global professional services firm specializing in real estate and investment management. Comparable to Elmdale's investment management and real estate services offering but operating at much larger institutional scale across all major asset classes.
- Colliers International: A global diversified professional services and investment management company focused on commercial real estate. Overlaps with Elmdale's brokerage and investment platform across asset classes including office, industrial, and retail.
- Public Storage: The largest publicly traded self-storage REIT in the US. Comparable to Elmdale's StorSafe self-storage operations in terms of asset class focus and recurring rental revenue model, though at vastly larger institutional scale.
- Extra Space Storage: A leading self-storage REIT with thousands of owned and managed facilities. Comparable to Elmdale's StorSafe self-storage platform in asset class, though Extra Space operates at national institutional scale.
- Anywhere Real Estate: The parent company of Century 21 (alongside Coldwell Banker, Sotheby's, and Better Homes and Gardens). Directly comparable to Elmdale's Century 21 franchise operations, though Anywhere operates the Century 21 brand at national/international scale.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Elmdale Partners social profiles
Digital presenceElmdale Partners financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Elmdale Partners leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Elmdale Partners subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries7 records
Elmdale Partners funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Elmdale Partners M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Elmdale Partners
What does Elmdale Partners do?
Elmdale Partners is a vertically integrated real estate investment firm that acquires underperforming commercial real estate assets and transforms them into profitable, institutional-grade ventures for accredited investors. Its core offerings span direct real estate investment funds, 1031 exchange replacement properties, self-storage operations (StorSafe, 31 facilities, 12,700+ units, $250MM+ AUM), small bay industrial development (Small Bay Industrial), and adjacent real estate services including Century 21 brokerage, Acuity Title Services, and Skylight Insurance, distributed through the JuniperSquare investor portal.
Is Elmdale Partners a public or private company?
Elmdale Partners is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Elmdale Partners founded?
Elmdale Partners was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Elmdale Partners based?
Elmdale Partners is headquartered in Skokie, United States, in the North America region.
How does Elmdale Partners make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Real Estate Investment Returns are the primary driver. The others are brokerage Operations, title Insurance Services and self-Storage Operations.
Who are Elmdale Partners's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Marcus & Millichap, Walker & Dunlop, Newmark Group and Northmarq. Broad incumbents are CBRE Group, JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle), Colliers International, Public Storage, Extra Space Storage and Anywhere Real Estate.
Does Elmdale Partners have an API?
No public API is recorded for Elmdale Partners.
What industry is Elmdale Partners in?
Elmdale Partners's product category is Commercial Real Estate Investment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAJANAA, Real Estate Investment Advisory (Acquisitions/Dispositions, Capital Allocation), with a secondary code of FSAAAKAB, Value-Add & Opportunistic Real Estate. Its NAICS code is 531390 and its SIC code is 6532.