McCarthy Cook & Co.
McCarthy Cook & Co. is a privately held commercial real estate investment and management firm operating a portfolio of Class A office, laboratory, and industrial properties across California and Arizona, primarily serving technology and healthcare tenants through JV partnerships with institutional capital providers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersCosta Mesa, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What McCarthy Cook & Co. does
McCarthy Cook & Co. is a privately held commercial real estate investment and management firm founded in 1995, headquartered in San Francisco with regional offices in Los Angeles and Orange County (Costa Mesa), California. The firm acquires, develops, and operates a portfolio of Class A office, laboratory, and — more recently — industrial properties concentrated in supply-constrained California submarkets and, as of 2025, Phoenix, Arizona. Its current portfolio includes China Basin (a 921,000 sq ft waterfront campus in San Francisco co-owned with JPMorgan Chase), LUMEN (570,000 sq ft in West Los Angeles), The MET Costa Mesa, Castro Station (114,809 sq ft Class A office in Mountain View, held in a JV with Northwestern Mutual Life), the UCSF Sandler Neuroscience Center (237,000 sq ft lab/clinical facility), and the newly acquired 172,244 sq ft Tailwinds at Gateway industrial complex in Mesa, Arizona.
The firm's business model combines recurring rental income from long-cycle institutional and enterprise tenants with opportunistic property acquisition and disposition (e.g., the $179.7M Castro Station acquisition in 2018, the $51.5M Tailwinds at Gateway acquisition in 2025, and the 2017 exit from a 1 million sq ft Phoenix office portfolio). McCarthy Cook typically co-invests with large institutional capital partners — JPMorgan Chase and Northwestern Mutual Life — rather than deploying balance-sheet equity alone, a capital-efficient structure that scales AUM while limiting McCarthy Cook's own equity exposure. Tenant mix is heavily weighted to technology companies (Dropbox, Lyft, GREE, and as of November 2025 the AI startup Sierra, which signed a 258,000 sq ft lease at China Basin — one of San Francisco's largest office leases of the year), supplemented by healthcare and research institutions (UCSF).
The firm's go-to-market is direct, relationship-driven leasing through in-house property managers and brokers, supported by earned-media coverage in publications such as the San Francisco Business Times and Los Angeles Times. Revenue, AUM, and headcount are not publicly disclosed; the firm operates with 11-50 employees and is led by Co-President Edward Cook, with no identified venture capital or institutional private equity backing. The core commercial differentiator is the firm's positioning of trophy, amenity-rich, transit-connected California assets to attract premium enterprise tenants — a positioning that appears to be working even as the broader San Francisco office market contracts, evidenced by the Sierra AI lease win.
McCarthy Cook & Co. firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- McCarthy Cook & Co.
- Legal name
- McCarthy Cook
- Website
- https://mccarthycook.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- McCarthy Cook & Co. is a privately held commercial real estate investment and management firm operating a portfolio of Class A office, laboratory, and industrial properties across California and Arizona, primarily serving technology and healthcare tenants through JV partnerships with institutional capital providers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
McCarthy Cook & Co. industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commercial Real Estate Services
- NAICS
- Other Financial Investment Activities (5239)
- SIC
- Real Estate Dealers (For Their Own Account) (6532)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Commercial Real Estate Brokerage (Leasing & Sales) (FSAEAJAB)
Keywords
Where McCarthy Cook & Co. is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Costa Mesa
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
McCarthy Cook & Co. business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Commercial Property Rental Income: McCarthy Cook generates revenue through leasing office and industrial space to tenants in their owned and managed properties.
- Property Sales and Capital Gains: The company realizes capital gains through strategic property acquisitions and subsequent sales, as demonstrated by the $179.7MM Castro Station transaction.
- Industrial Property Investment: Acquisition and sale of industrial complexes, such as the $51.5MM Tailwinds at Gateway transaction in Phoenix.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
McCarthy Cook & Co. product offering
Product offeringCore offering
McCarthy Cook & Co. acquires, develops, redevelops, and manages institutional-quality Class A office, life science, and mixed-use commercial real estate properties concentrated in California. The firm leases space to enterprise tenants and partners with institutional capital sources to underwrite, own, and dispose of assets. Revenue is generated from rental income, property management fees, and capital gains from property sales.
Product overview
McCarthy Cook & Co. is a commercial real estate investment and management firm operating a portfolio of office, laboratory, and industrial properties across California and Arizona. The company's property portfolio includes China Basin (a 921,000 SF waterfront campus in San Francisco), LUMEN (570,000 SF workspace in West LA), The MET Costa Mesa (office campus), UCSF Sandler Neuroscience Center (laboratory facility), Castro Station (Class A office campus in Mountain View), and Tailwinds at Gateway (172,244 SF industrial complex in Phoenix). McCarthy Cook manages these properties on behalf of institutional investors including JPMorgan Chase, Northwestern Mutual Life, and CalPERS.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- China Basin A Class A office property in the China Basin/Mission Bay area of San Francisco, owned and managed by McCarthy Cook & Co. for institutional and enterprise office tenants.
- LUMEN (West Los Angeles) A Class A office property in West Los Angeles, owned and managed by McCarthy Cook & Co. for institutional and enterprise office tenants.
- The MET Costa Mesa A Class A office property in Costa Mesa, California, owned and managed by McCarthy Cook & Co. for institutional and enterprise office tenants.
- UCSF Sandler Neuroscience Center A life science / institutional property at UCSF's Mission Bay campus in San Francisco, owned and managed by McCarthy Cook & Co. for healthcare, research, and institutional tenants.
- Castro Station A commercial real estate property in Mountain View, California, owned and managed by McCarthy Cook & Co. and leased to office and life science tenants.
- Tailwinds at Gateway A commercial real estate property in the Gateway submarket, owned and managed by McCarthy Cook & Co. for enterprise tenants.
- 2041 Colorado (former One Colorado) A select real estate investment in Pasadena, California, acquired in joint venture with JPMorgan Chase, used to generate investment returns for the firm and its capital partner.
- Wilshire Courtyard A select real estate investment in Los Angeles, California, acquired in joint venture with Northwestern Mutual Life, used to generate investment returns for the firm and its capital partner.
Quantifiable outcome
- China Basin reached 95% leased with 350,000 sq ft of new leases in 2011
Companies that use McCarthy Cook & Co.
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
McCarthy Cook & Co. technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
McCarthy Cook & Co. partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Commercial Properties, Inc./CORFAC InternationalminorRepresented the seller of Tailwinds at Gateway; McCarthy Cook was the buyer. This transaction was facilitated through this commercial real estate brokerage's services.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
McCarthy Cook & Co. competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Lincoln Property Company: Large diversified CRE owner/operator with national footprint including California offices. Competes for institutional capital and offers similar leasing/management services at scale.
- Boston Properties (BXP): Major publicly traded office REIT focused on Class A office in gateway markets including San Francisco and Los Angeles. Comparable trophy-asset, institutional-tenant approach.
- Tishman Speyer: Global commercial real estate investor and developer with significant California presence. Much larger scale and broader asset mix, but competes for the same institutional capital and top-tier tenants.
Direct peers
- DivcoWest: Bay Area-based real estate investment firm specializing in office and life science property in innovation-driven markets. Highly analogous tenant mix and operating geography.
- Hudson Pacific Properties: Office REIT focused on tech/media tenant campuses in Northern and Southern California and the Pacific Northwest. Competes directly for the same premier Class A tech-tenant deals as McCarthy Cook.
- Kilroy Realty: Public California-focused office REIT whose Bay Area and Los Angeles portfolio overlaps with McCarthy Cook's footprint. Comparable Class A product serving technology and life science tenants.
- Jay Paul Company: Bay Area-focused office developer and investor with a similar tenant mix of major technology companies. Operates trophy campuses in Silicon Valley/Mission Bay-style submarkets, making it the closest functional analog to McCarthy Cook's strategy.
- Strada Investment Group: Bay Area office investor focused on Class A creative-office and tech campuses in California urban markets. Directly comparable mid-sized private CRE investor.
Emerging players
- Crescent Heights: Residential-led developer with mixed-use and office exposure in California markets. Comparable as a CA-focused sponsor with similar relationship-driven model.
Others
- Clarion Partners: Major CRE investment manager serving institutional investors, including office strategies. Like McCarthy Cook, Clarion deploys institutional capital into California office assets, making it a relevant capital-side analog.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
McCarthy Cook & Co. social profiles
Digital presenceMcCarthy Cook & Co. financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
McCarthy Cook & Co. leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
McCarthy Cook & Co. funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
McCarthy Cook & Co. 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 McCarthy Cook & Co.
What does McCarthy Cook & Co. do?
McCarthy Cook & Co. acquires, develops, redevelops, and manages institutional-quality Class A office, life science, and mixed-use commercial real estate properties concentrated in California. The firm leases space to enterprise tenants and partners with institutional capital sources to underwrite, own, and dispose of assets. Revenue is generated from rental income, property management fees, and capital gains from property sales.
Is McCarthy Cook & Co. a public or private company?
McCarthy Cook & Co. is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was McCarthy Cook & Co. founded?
McCarthy Cook & Co. was founded in 1995. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is McCarthy Cook & Co. based?
McCarthy Cook & Co. is headquartered in Costa Mesa, United States, in the North America region.
How does McCarthy Cook & Co. make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Commercial Property Rental Income is the primary driver. The others are property Sales and Capital Gains and industrial Property Investment.
Who are McCarthy Cook & Co.'s main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Lincoln Property Company, Boston Properties (BXP) and Tishman Speyer. Direct peers are DivcoWest, Hudson Pacific Properties, Kilroy Realty, Jay Paul Company and Strada Investment Group. Crescent Heights is listed as an emerging player. Clarion Partners is listed as an others.
Does McCarthy Cook & Co. have an API?
No public API is recorded for McCarthy Cook & Co..
What industry is McCarthy Cook & Co. in?
McCarthy Cook & Co.'s product category is Commercial Real Estate Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAEAJAB, Commercial Real Estate Brokerage (Leasing & Sales). Its NAICS code is 5239 and its SIC code is 6532.