North American Data Centers
North American Data Centers is a Chicago-based boutique commercial real estate advisory firm founded in 2014, specializing exclusively in data center tenant representation, capital markets, and land disposition services for enterprise users, colocation providers, developers, and REITs across the U.S. and Canada.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersWacker, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What North American Data Centers does
North American Data Centers (NADC) is a privately held, founder-owned boutique commercial real estate advisory firm founded in 2014 by Jim Kerrigan and headquartered in Chicago. The firm specializes exclusively in data center real estate, providing tenant representation, capital markets services (sales, purchases, NNN sale-leasebacks, equity placement), and land disposition for data center development across the United States and Canada. NADC describes itself as the first U.S. real estate company focused exclusively on data center acquisition, leasing, and sales, building on the founder's 25+ years of dedicated experience and track record dating back to 1998, including the original anchor-tenant lease of 350 East Cermak in Chicago.
The firm operates three core service lines: Tenant Representation (advising enterprise users on data center strategy across colocation, cloud, and hybrid models; lease negotiations; renewal optimization); Capital Markets (facilitating data center property sales, NNN sale-leasebacks, and capital sourcing from pension funds, private equity, and investment firms); and Land Disposition (marketing land sites with over 1,000 acres under active representation, including fiber/power analysis, site planning, and qualified buyer identification). There is no underlying technology platform — NADC is a relationship-driven advisory practice rather than a software product company. Its competitive positioning is built on domain specialization (kW/rack metrics, PUE, SLA, state tax law), proprietary market intelligence reflected in annual Data Center Real Estate Forecast Reports published since 2010, and SIOR-recognized transaction execution.
NADC's business model is transaction-fee based across all three service lines. There is no publicly disclosed pricing; engagements are negotiated based on transaction scope, complexity, and value, with multi-year advisory relationships common. The customer base is entirely enterprise and mid-market across four primary segments: enterprise data center users (financial services, airlines, insurance, telecom — including Citi, United Airlines, Fidelity Information Services, Savvis/CenturyLink, Guardian Life, Liberty Mutual, Transaction Network Services), managed hosting/colocation providers (Equinix, ServerCentral, Singlehop, ServInt), data center developers (DuPont Fabros, QTS, CyrusOne, Digital Realty), and data center REITs (Coresite, COPT, Oxford Properties). Landowners seeking succession planning via REIT sales form a secondary segment. Since founding, NADC has completed over 4 million SF of capital markets transactions, $700M+ in equity placements, and $1.2B+ in property sales across 20 properties, with cumulative lease renewals exceeding 100MW.
North American Data Centers firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- North American Data Centers
- Legal name
- North American Data Centers
- Website
- https://nadatacenters.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- North American Data Centers is a Chicago-based boutique commercial real estate advisory firm founded in 2014, specializing exclusively in data center tenant representation, capital markets, and land disposition services for enterprise users, colocation providers, developers, and REITs across the U.S. and Canada.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
North American Data Centers industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Data Center Real Estate Advisory
- NAICS
- Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (5312)
- SIC
- Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Data Center Tenant Representation (BPAJALAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Data Center & Digital Infrastructure Site Brokerage (BPAJACAE)
Keywords
Where North American Data Centers is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wacker
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
North American Data Centers business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Capital Markets Transaction Fees: Brokerage commissions on data center property sales, purchases, and sale-leaseback transactions. Fees are typically a percentage of transaction value for completed deals.
- Tenant Representation Advisory: Advisory fees and commissions for representing tenants in lease negotiations, renewals, and space selection for data center facilities.
- Land Disposition Services: Fees for marketing and selling land sites targeted for data center development. NADC positions properties, identifies qualified buyers, and facilitates transactions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom advisory engagements based on client needs and transaction complexity |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
North American Data Centers product offering
Product offeringCore offering
North American Data Centers is a boutique commercial real estate advisory firm focused exclusively on data centers across the United States and Canada. The firm provides Tenant Representation Services (lease strategy, negotiation, and renewal advisory for enterprise data center users), Capital Markets Services (data center property sales, purchases, and NNN sale-leasebacks), and Land Disposition Services (marketing and selling land sites targeted for data center development). Engagements are advisory and brokerage in nature, delivered on a custom fee basis tied to transaction value.
Product overview
North American Data Centers is a specialized real estate advisory firm focused exclusively on data center transactions across North America. The company operates three core service lines: Tenant Representation Services (helping enterprise users evaluate colocation, cloud, and hybrid strategies and negotiate leases), Capital Markets Services (facilitating property sales, purchases, and NNN sale-leasebacks), and Land Disposition Services (marketing land sites for data center development). These services are delivered as consulting and brokerage offerings rather than a software product or platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Tenant Representation Services Advisory service helping enterprise users evaluate data center strategies, negotiate leases, and optimize total cost of operations across colocation, cloud, and hybrid solutions. Engagements cover lease renewals, new leases, site selection, and footprint expansions.
- Capital Markets Services Advisory and transaction services for data center property sales, purchases, NNN sale-leasebacks, and capital sourcing through pension funds, private equity, and investment firms.
- Land Disposition Services Specialized sale of land sites targeted for data center development, including site viability assessment, fiber and network analysis, power strategy, and conceptual site planning. NADC maintains over 1,000 acres of land available at any given time and facilitates transactions with qualified buyers.
Quantifiable outcome
- 30% to 35% improvement in overall economics of clients' transactions
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use North American Data Centers
Customer profileNamed customers19 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
North American Data Centers technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
North American Data Centers partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators20 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
North American Data Centers competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- NAI Global — Data Center Group: Global CRE brokerage network with a Data Center specialty practice offering tenant representation and capital markets services. Comparable niche specialization but smaller individual transactions and broader geographic fragmentation than NADC.
Broad incumbents
- JLL — Capital Markets, Americas: JLL's investment sales and capital markets platform for data center properties. Competes with NADC's Capital Markets Services line on portfolio sales, sale-leasebacks, and equity placement for developers and REITs.
- Newmark — Data Center Practice: Commercial real estate services firm with a dedicated Data Center Capital Markets and Tenant Representation practice. Comparable in service mix to NADC; founder Jim Kerrigan previously worked at Grubb & Ellis (later acquired into Newmark).
- Colliers — Data Center Services: Global CRE advisory firm with a growing Data Center practice offering tenant representation, capital markets, and project management. Competes with NADC for mid-market and enterprise data center mandates across North America.
- Avison Young — Data Center Advisory: Global CRE services firm with a dedicated Data Center practice covering tenant representation, capital markets, and consulting. Founder Jim Kerrigan previously worked at Avison Young before founding NADC, and the firm remains a direct competitor.
- JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle) — Data Center Advisory: Global commercial real estate services firm with a dedicated Data Center Advisory practice offering tenant representation, capital markets, and valuation. Directly comparable service offerings to NADC but at vastly greater scale; founder Jim Kerrigan previously worked at JLL's predecessor Staubach.
- CBRE — Data Center Solutions: World's largest commercial real estate firm with a dedicated Data Center Solutions group covering leasing, capital markets, and valuation globally. Competes head-to-head with NADC on enterprise tenant representation and REIT capital placement mandates.
- C&W Capital Markets Group: Capital markets arm of Cushman & Wakefield, handling investment sales and equity placement for data center assets. Direct competitor to NADC's Capital Markets Services for REIT and institutional investor transactions.
- Cushman & Wakefield — Data Center Advisory: Global CRE services firm with a dedicated Data Center Advisory practice spanning tenant rep, capital markets, and consulting. Overlaps directly with NADC's three core service lines and competes for the same hyperscaler, REIT, and enterprise clients.
Regional players
- Savills — Data Centers: International CRE advisory with growing data center presence; founder Jim Kerrigan began his career at Julien Studley (now part of Savills). Comparable advisory services but with stronger European footprint, making it more of a regional peer relative to NADC's North American focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
North American Data Centers social profiles
Digital presenceNorth American Data Centers financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
North American Data Centers leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
North American Data Centers funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
North American Data Centers 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 North American Data Centers
What does North American Data Centers do?
North American Data Centers is a boutique commercial real estate advisory firm focused exclusively on data centers across the United States and Canada. The firm provides Tenant Representation Services (lease strategy, negotiation, and renewal advisory for enterprise data center users), Capital Markets Services (data center property sales, purchases, and NNN sale-leasebacks), and Land Disposition Services (marketing and selling land sites targeted for data center development). Engagements are advisory and brokerage in nature, delivered on a custom fee basis tied to transaction value.
Is North American Data Centers a public or private company?
North American Data Centers is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was North American Data Centers founded?
North American Data Centers was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is North American Data Centers based?
North American Data Centers is headquartered in Wacker, United States, in the North America region.
How does North American Data Centers make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Capital Markets Transaction Fees are the primary driver. The others are tenant Representation Advisory and land Disposition Services.
Who are North American Data Centers's main competitors?
NAI Global — Data Center Group is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are JLL — Capital Markets, Americas, Newmark — Data Center Practice, Colliers — Data Center Services, Avison Young — Data Center Advisory, JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle) — Data Center Advisory, CBRE — Data Center Solutions, C&W Capital Markets Group and Cushman & Wakefield — Data Center Advisory. Savills — Data Centers is listed as a regional player.
Does North American Data Centers have an API?
No public API is recorded for North American Data Centers.
What industry is North American Data Centers in?
North American Data Centers's product category is Data Center Real Estate Advisory. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAJALAI, Data Center Tenant Representation, with a secondary code of BPAJACAE, Data Center & Digital Infrastructure Site Brokerage. Its NAICS code is 5312 and its SIC code is 6531.