Clausen Enterprises

What Clausen Enterprises does

Clausen Enterprises is a Single-Family Office headquartered in Anaheim, California, that deploys its own capital into a diversified U.S. real estate portfolio under a 'Patient Capital' investment philosophy. Founded in 1960 by Ken Clausen as the original Shakey's Pizza franchisee and growing to operate well over 20 restaurants, the company gradually transitioned into real estate ownership, opportunistically acquiring assets in the same Southern California communities where it operated. Today, led by second-generation Chairman & CEO Craig Clausen, the firm invests across five property types—self-storage, multi-family housing, multi-tenant NNN commercial retail, industrial NNN, and NNN-QSR single-tenant restaurant real estate—across California, Idaho, Colorado, North Carolina, and Ohio. Crucially, because it invests its own (not third-party) capital, Clausen can hold assets indefinitely and make strategic decisions free from fund-life or exit-pressure considerations.

The portfolio is anchored by nine named multi-family properties (Le Mar Apartments, Sunburst Apartment Homes, Arbor Garden Town Homes, Westwood Apartments, Grove Apartments, McArthur Landing, and others), two self-storage facilities (Madison Squares Self Storage and 2nd Space Self Storage powered by StoreEase), multi-tenant retail assets under the Clausen Retail Centers brand, an industrial NNN asset leased to Amcor, and five NNN-QSR ground leases to Del Taco (Buena Park) and Shakey's Pizza (Downey, Norwalk, Buena Park, Anaheim). Recurring revenue is generated through long-term tenant leases across these assets, supplemented by long-term real estate appreciation and capital gains. The firm augments its balance-sheet investments through co-investment partnerships with Stratford Partners, Antilles Capital Partners, and Urban Solutions, while outsourcing day-to-day property management to specialized operators (The Remm Group, GSF Properties, CONAM, StoreEase).

Clausen operates with a small core team of 1-10 employees under a lean executive structure: Craig Clausen (Chairman & CEO), David Cessna (COO, ex-Restaurant Brands International/3G Capital), Charles Albano (CFO, CPA since 1982), and Tom Baumann (Asset Manager, joined January 2022), with governance from a Board of Advisors established in 2018 (Andy Smith, Lee Froschheiser, Bob Sattler). The family's philanthropic mission is executed through the Clausen Family Foundation, established in 2020. The Patient Capital model differentiates Clausen from typical private equity or institutional buyers: there are no external LPs, no fund vehicles, no public disclosure obligations, and no liquidation clock—investment terms with co-investors are negotiated bilaterally and pricing is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Clausen Enterprises

Legal name

Clausen Enterprises

Website

https://clauseninc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Clausen Enterprises is a second-generation Single-Family Office founded in 1960 that invests its own capital in a diversified U.S. real estate portfolio spanning multi-family housing, self-storage, retail, industrial, and NNN-QSR properties under a Patient Capital philosophy enabling indefinite asset ownership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Anaheim

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Real Estate Rental Income: The company generates revenue through rental income from its diversified portfolio of commercial real estate assets including multi-family apartments, self-storage facilities, retail/commercial properties, industrial NNN properties, and NNN-QSR restaurant locations. Income is recurring from long-term tenant leases.
2. Real Estate Appreciation and Capital Gains: Patient capital approach allows the company to benefit from long-term real estate appreciation and strategic value creation across their portfolio assets.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Clausen Enterprises is a single-family office that makes direct and co-investments in diversified commercial real estate assets using its own capital under a Patient Capital philosophy. The portfolio spans multi-family housing, self-storage, multi-tenant NNN commercial retail, industrial NNN properties, and NNN-QSR quick-service restaurant locations across California, Idaho, Colorado, North Carolina, and Ohio. The company partners with real estate entrepreneurs and sponsors while retaining the ability to own assets indefinitely without fund lifecycle pressure.

Product overview

Clausen Enterprises is a Single-Family Office established in 1960 that operates a diversified real estate investment portfolio. The company employs a Patient Capital investment philosophy, allowing it to own assets indefinitely and make strategic decisions in best interests of investments. The portfolio spans multiple property types including multi-tenant NNN commercial retail (Clausen Retail Centers), multi-family housing (Le Mar Apartments, Sunburst Apartment Homes, Arbor Garden Town Homes, Westwood Apartments, Grove Apartments, McArthur Landing), self-storage (Madison Squares Self Storage, 2nd Space Self Storage powered by StoreEase), NNN-QSR quick service restaurants (Del Taco and Shakey's Pizza locations), industrial NNN real estate (Amcor), and co-investments with Stratford Partners, Antilles Capital Partners, and Urban Solutions. Professional property management is handled through partners including The Remm Group, GSF Properties Inc., CONAM, and StoreEase. The company operates throughout California, Idaho, Colorado, North Carolina, and Ohio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Clausen Retail Centers: Retail and commercial properties operated by Clausen Enterprises.
• Le Mar Apartments
• Sunburst Apartment Homes
• Arbor Garden Town Homes
• Westwood Apartments
• Grove Apartments
• McArthur Landing
• Madison Squares Self Storage
• 2nd Space Self Storage
• Clausen Family Foundation

Products and services

• Clausen Retail Centers Multi-tenant NNN commercial retail properties managed as part of Clausen Enterprises' diversified real estate portfolio.
• Le Mar Apartments Multi-family residential apartment community owned and operated within Clausen Enterprises' housing portfolio.
• Sunburst Apartment Homes Multi-family residential apartment community within Clausen Enterprises' housing portfolio.
• Arbor Garden Town Homes Multi-family townhome community within Clausen Enterprises' housing portfolio.
• Westwood Apartments Multi-family residential apartment community in Greeley within Clausen Enterprises' housing portfolio.
• Grove Apartments Multi-family residential apartment community in Loveland within Clausen Enterprises' housing portfolio.
• McArthur Landing Multi-family residential property within Clausen Enterprises' housing portfolio.
• Madison Squares Self Storage Self-storage facility within Clausen Enterprises' real estate portfolio.
• 2nd Space Self Storage (powered by StoreEase) Self-storage facility powered by StoreEase within Clausen Enterprises' real estate portfolio.
• Amcor Industrial NNN Property Industrial NNN real estate property leased to Amcor within Clausen Enterprises' portfolio.
• Del Taco - Buena Park (NNN-QSR) NNN-QSR (Triple Net Quick Service Restaurant) franchise location, part of Clausen Enterprises' single-tenant commercial real estate holdings.
• Shakey's Pizza - Downey (NNN-QSR) NNN-QSR franchise location in Downey tied to Clausen Enterprises' historical roots as the first Shakey's Pizza franchisee.
• Shakey's Pizza - Norwalk (NNN-QSR) NNN-QSR franchise location in Norwalk tied to Clausen Enterprises' historical roots as the first Shakey's Pizza franchisee.
• Shakey's Pizza - Buena Park (NNN-QSR) NNN-QSR franchise location in Buena Park tied to Clausen Enterprises' historical roots as the first Shakey's Pizza franchisee.
• Shakey's Pizza - Anaheim (NNN-QSR) NNN-QSR franchise location in Anaheim tied to Clausen Enterprises' historical roots as the first Shakey's Pizza franchisee.

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Stratford PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-investment partner for real estate investments. Clausen Enterprises invests alongside Stratford Partners in various real estate opportunities.
• Antilles Capital PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-investment partner for real estate investments. Strategic partnership for pursuing real estate opportunities.
• Urban SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-investment partner for real estate investments. Strategic alignment for real estate development and investment opportunities.
• The Remm GroupminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProfessional management partner for real estate portfolio operations and management.
• GSF Properties Inc.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProfessional property management services for Clausen Enterprises real estate assets.
• CONAMminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProfessional property management and real estate services provider for portfolio assets.
• StoreEaseminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSelf-storage property management and operational services provider, powering 2nd Space Self Storage locations in portfolio.
• AmcorminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndustrial tenant occupying NNN property in Clausen Enterprises real estate portfolio.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• W. P. Carey Inc. Diversified net-lease REIT owning single-tenant industrial, retail, office, and self-storage properties globally. Compares to Clausen's diversified direct-ownership approach across NNN product types, though W. P. Carey is a public perpetual-capital vehicle.
• Four Corners Property Trust: A restaurant-focused net-lease REIT owning freestanding QSR properties across the U.S. Highly comparable to Clausen's NNN-QSR sub-portfolio (Del Taco, Shakey's Pizza). Similar patient, long-duration hold strategy on leased restaurant real estate.
• STORE Capital: Private (since 2022 Oak Street-led take-private) net-lease owner of single-tenant retail, restaurant, and industrial real estate. Closely comparable to Clausen's restaurant and industrial holdings and pre-take-private had a similar patient capital structure.
• Getty Realty Corp. Net-lease REIT focused on convenience, automotive, and restaurant properties leased to necessity-based tenants. Comparable to Clausen's tenant-credit and single-tenant commercial strategy, with similar underwriting rigor.
• National Retail Properties: A net-lease REIT (now subsidiary of Realty Income) focused on freestanding retail and restaurant properties. Directly comparable to Clausen's NNN retail and NNN-QSR assets and tenant-credit screening approach.
• Broadstone Net Lease: Diversified net-lease REIT owning commercial properties across industrial, retail, restaurant, and office. Comparable to Clausen's diversified single-tenant strategy across NNN product types, with a similarly long-duration capital base.
• Realty Income Corporation: The largest pure-play net-lease REIT, focused on single-tenant commercial real estate leased to quality tenants. Clausen's NNN-QSR, NNN retail, and industrial holdings mirror Realty Income's core strategy, just at family-office scale rather than public-market scale.

Broad incumbents

• Extra Space Storage Inc. Large self-storage REIT/operator with growing third-party management platform. Comparable to Clausen's self-storage assets and partner StoreEase (a third-party management model Extra Space also operates).
• Camden Property Trust: A Sun Belt-focused multifamily REIT owning apartment communities across high-growth U.S. metros. Comparable to Clausen's Le Mar, Sunburst, Arbor Garden, Westwood, Grove, and McArthur Landing multifamily holdings, with overlap in CA, CO, and NC markets.
• Public Storage: The largest self-storage REIT/operator in the U.S. Comparable to Clausen's Madison Squares and 2nd Space self-storage assets as a peer in the same asset class, though vastly larger and publicly traded.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clausen-enterprises-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Clausen Enterprises