Item 1. Business
Item 1. Business
Certain Definitions
In this report:
“Cash Rent Change” means the percentage change in the base rent of the lease commenced during the period compared to the base rent of the Comparable Lease for assets included in the Operating Portfolio. The calculation compares the first base rent payment due after the lease commencement date compared to the base rent of the last monthly payment due prior to the termination of the lease, excluding holdover rent. Rent under gross or similar type leases are converted to a net rent based on an estimate of the applicable recoverable expenses.
“Comparable Lease” means a lease in the same space with a similar lease structure as compared to the previous in-place lease, excluding new leases for space that was not occupied under our ownership.
“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States.
“New Lease” means a lease that is signed for an initial term equal to or greater than 12 months for any vacant space, including a lease signed by a new tenant or an existing tenant that is expanding into new (additional) space.
“Occupancy rate” means the percentage of total leasable square footage for which either revenue recognition has commenced in accordance with GAAP or the lease term has commenced as of the close of the reporting period, whichever occurs earlier.
“Operating Portfolio” means all buildings that were acquired stabilized or have achieved Stabilization. The Operating Portfolio excludes non-core flex/office buildings, buildings contained in the Value Add Portfolio, and buildings classified as held for sale.
“Renewal Lease” means a lease signed by an existing tenant to extend the term for 12 months or more, including (i) a renewal of the same space as the current lease at lease expiration, (ii) a renewal of only a portion of the current space at lease expiration, or (iii) an early renewal or workout, which ultimately does extend the original term for 12 months or more.
“SL Rent Change” means the percentage change in the average monthly base rent over the term of the lease that commenced during the period compared to the Comparable Lease for assets included in the Operating Portfolio. Rent under gross or similar type leases are converted to a net rent based on an estimate of the applicable recoverable expenses, and this calculation excludes the impact of any holdover rent.
“Stabilization” for properties under development or being redeveloped means the earlier of achieving 90% occupancy or 12 months after completion. With respect to properties acquired and immediately added to the Value Add Portfolio, (i) if acquired with less than 75% occupancy as of the acquisition date, Stabilization will occur upon the earlier of achieving 90% occupancy or 12 months from the acquisition date; or (ii) if acquired and will be less than 75% occupied due to known move-outs within two years of the acquisition date, Stabilization will occur upon the earlier of achieving 90% occupancy after the known move-outs have occurred or 12 months after the known move-outs have occurred.
“Total annualized base rental revenue” means the contractual monthly base rent as of December 31, 2023 (which differs from rent calculated in accordance with GAAP) multiplied by 12. If a tenant is in a free rent period as of December 31, 2023, the total annualized base rental revenue is calculated based on the first contractual monthly base rent amount multiplied by 12.
“Value Add Portfolio” means our properties that meet any of the following criteria: (i) less than 75% occupied as of the acquisition date (ii) will be less than 75% occupied due to known move-outs within two years of the acquisition date; (iii) out of service with significant physical renovation of the asset; or (iv) development.
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“Weighted Average Lease Term” means the contractual lease term in years, assuming that tenants exercise no renewal options, purchase options, or early termination rights, weighted by square footage.
Overview
We are a REIT focused on the acquisition, ownership, and operation of industrial properties throughout the United States. Our platform is designed to (i) identify properties for acquisition that offer relative value across CBRE-EA Tier 1 industrial real estate markets, industries, and tenants through the principled application of our proprietary risk assessment model, (ii) provide growth through sophisticated industrial operation and an attractive opportunity set, and (iii) capitalize our business appropriately given the characteristics of our assets.
We are organized and conduct our operations to maintain our qualification as a REIT under Sections 856 through 860 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and generally are not subject to federal income tax to the extent we currently distribute our income to our stockholders and maintain our qualification as a REIT. We remain subject to state and local taxes on our income and property and to U.S. federal income and excise taxes on our undistributed income.
As of December 31, 2023, we owned 569 buildings in 41 states with approximately 112.3 million rentable square feet, consisting of 493 warehouse/distribution buildings, 70 light manufacturing buildings, one flex/office building, and five Value Add Portfolio buildings. In addition, as of December 31, 2023, we had six development projects (which are not included in the building count noted above). While the majority of our portfolio consists of single-tenant properties, we also own a growing number of multi-tenant properties. As of December 31, 2023, our buildings were approximately 98.2% leased, with no single tenant accounting for more than approximately 2.9% of our total annualized base rental revenue and no single industry accounting for more than approximately 11.0% of our total annualized base rental revenue. We intend to maintain a diversified mix of tenants to limit our exposure to any single tenant or industry.
As of December 31, 2023, our Operating Portfolio was approximately 98.4% leased. SL Rent Change on new and renewal leases together grew approximately 44.0% and 24.3% during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and our Cash Rent Change on new and renewal leases together grew approximately 31.0% and 14.3% during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
We have fully integrated acquisition, leasing and operations platforms led by a senior management team with decades of industrial real estate experience. Our mission is to deliver attractive long-term stockholder returns in all market environments by growing cash flow through disciplined investment in high-quality real estate while maintaining a strong balance sheet.
Our Strategy
Our primary business objectives are to own and operate a balanced and diversified portfolio that fits the needs of the markets we operate in, add value to the assets we acquire, and to enhance stockholder value over time by achieving sustainable long-term growth in distributable cash flow from operations.
We believe that our focus on owning and operating a portfolio of individually acquired industrial properties throughout CBRE-EA Tier 1 industrial markets in the United States will, when compared to other real estate portfolios, generate returns for our stockholders that are attractive in light of the associated risks for the following reasons.
• The acquisition of individual properties has historically been more cost effective versus competing with a larger pool of buyers who may need to deploy significant capital quickly on large portfolio transactions.
• Acquiring individually maintains our portfolio quality, as multi-asset portfolio acquisitions may include assets that are not desirable to us.
• The contribution of individual assets to an aggregated portfolio creates diversification, thereby lowering risk and creating value.
• Other institutional, industrial real estate buyers tend to focus on properties in a small number of super-primary markets. In contrast, we choose from a larger opportunity set of industrial properties across all CBRE-EA Tier 1 industrial markets in the United States.
• Our wider focus results in an advantage versus the local and regional buyers we compete with in many non-super-primary markets for acquisition opportunities who may not have the same access to debt or equity capital as us.
• Industrial properties generally require less capital expenditure than other commercial property types.
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Regulation
General
We are subject to various laws, ordinances, rules and regulations of the United States and the states and local municipalities in which we own properties, including regulations relating to common areas and fire and safety requirements. We believe that we or our tenants, as applicable, have the necessary permits and approvals to operate each of our properties.
Americans with Disabilities Act
Our properties must comply with Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended (the “ADA”) to the extent that such properties are “public accommodations” as defined under the ADA. Under the ADA, places of public accommodation must meet certain federal requirements related to access and use by disabled persons. The ADA may require removal of structural barriers to access by persons with disabilities in certain public areas of our properties where such removal is readily achievable. Although we believe that the properties in our portfolio in the aggregate substantially comply with current requirements of the ADA, and we have not received any notice for correction from any regulatory agency, we have not conducted a comprehensive audit or investigation of all of our properties to determine whether we are in compliance and therefore we may own properties that are not in compliance with the ADA.
ADA compliance is dependent upon the tenant’s specific use of the property, and as the use of a property changes or improvements to existing spaces are made, we will take steps to ensure compliance. Noncompliance with the ADA could result in additional costs to attain compliance, the imposition of fines by the federal government or the award of damages or attorney’s fees to private litigants. The obligation to make readily achievable accommodations is an ongoing one, and we will continue to assess our properties and to make alterations to achieve compliance as necessary.
Environmental Matters
Our properties are subject to various federal, state and local environmental laws. Under these laws, courts and government agencies have the authority to require us, as the owner of a contaminated property, to clean up the property, even if we did not know of or were not responsible for the contamination. These laws also apply to persons who owned a property at the time it became contaminated, and therefore it is possible we could incur these costs even after we sell a property. In addition to the costs of cleanup, environmental contamination can affect the value of a property and, therefore, an owner’s ability to borrow using the property as collateral (directly or indirectly) or to sell the property. Under applicable environmental laws, courts and government agencies also have the authority to require that a person who sent waste to a waste disposal facility, such as a landfill or an incinerator, pay for the clean-up of that facility if it becomes contaminated and threatens human health or the environment. We invest in properties historically used for industrial, light manufacturing and commercial purposes. Some of our properties contain, or may have contained, or are adjacent to or near other properties that have contained or currently contain, underground storage tanks used to store petroleum products and other hazardous or toxic substances, which create a potential for the release of petroleum products or other hazardous or toxic substances. We also own properties that are on or are adjacent to or near other properties upon which other persons, including former owners or tenants of our properties, have engaged, or may in the future engage, in activities that may generate or release petroleum products or other hazardous or toxic substances.
Environmental laws in the United States also require that owners of buildings containing asbestos properly manage and maintain the asbestos, adequately inform or train those who may come into contact with asbestos and undertake special precautions, including removal or other abatement, in the event that asbestos is disturbed during building renovation or demolition. These laws may impose fines and penalties on owners or who fail to comply with these requirements and may allow third parties to seek recovery from owners for personal injury associated with exposure to asbestos. Some of our buildings are known to have asbestos containing materials, and others, due to the age of the building and observed conditions, are suspected of having asbestos containing materials. We do not believe these conditions will materially and adversely affect us. In most or all instances, no immediate action was recommended to address the conditions.
Furthermore, various court decisions have established that third parties may recover damages for injury caused by property contamination. For instance, a person exposed to asbestos at one of our properties may seek to recover damages if he or she suffers injury from the asbestos. Lastly, some of these environmental laws restrict the use of a property or place conditions on various activities. An example would be laws that require a business using chemicals to manage them carefully and to notify local officials that the chemicals are being used.
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We could be responsible for any of the costs discussed above. The costs to clean up a contaminated property, to defend against a claim, or to comply with environmental laws could be material and could adversely affect the funds available for distribution to our stockholders. All of our properties were subject to a Phase I or similar environmental assessment by independent environmental consultants at the time of acquisition. We generally expect to continue to obtain a Phase I or similar environmental assessment by independent environmental consultants on each property prior to acquiring it. However, these environmental assessments may not reveal all environmental costs that might have a material adverse effect on our business, assets, results of operations or liquidity and may not identify all potential environmental liabilities.
At the time of acquisition, we add each property to our portfolio environmental insurance policy that provides coverage for potential environmental liabilities, subject to the policy’s coverage conditions and limitations.
Compliance with these environmental laws, rules and regulations has not had, and is not expected to have, a material effect on our capital expenditures, results of operations and competitive position as compared to prior periods. We can make no assurances that future laws, ordinances or regulations will not impose material environmental liabilities on us, or the current environmental condition of our properties will not be affected by tenants, the condition of land or operations in the vicinity of our properties (such as releases from underground storage tanks), or by third parties unrelated to us.
Insurance
We carry comprehensive general liability, fire, extended coverage and rental loss insurance covering all of the properties in our portfolio under blanket insurance. In addition, we maintain a portfolio environmental insurance policy that provides coverage for potential environmental liabilities, subject to the policy’s coverage conditions and limitations. Generally, we do not carry insurance for certain losses, including, but not limited to, losses caused by floods (unless the property is located in a flood plain), earthquakes, acts of war, acts of terrorism or riots. We carry employment practices liability insurance that covers us against claims by employees, former employees or potential employees for various employment related matters including wrongful termination, discrimination, sexual harassment in the workplace, hostile work environment, and retaliation, subject to the policy’s coverage conditions and limitations. We carry comprehensive cyber liability insurance coverage that covers us against claims related to certain first party and third party losses including data restoration costs, crisis management expenses, credit monitoring costs, failure to implement and maintain reasonable security procedures, invasion of customer’s privacy and negligence, subject to the policy’s coverage conditions and limitations. We also carry directors and officers insurance. We believe the policy specifications and insured limits are appropriate and adequate given the relative risk of loss, the cost of the coverage and standard industry practice; however, our insurance coverage may not be sufficient to cover all of our losses.
Competition
In acquiring our target properties, we often compete with local or regional operators due to the smaller, single asset (versus portfolio) focus of our acquisition strategy. We also we compete with other public industrial property sector REITs, single-tenant REITs, income oriented non-traded REITs, and private real estate funds. Local real estate investors typically do not have the same access to capital that we do as a publicly traded institution. We also face significant competition from owners and managers of competing properties in leasing our properties to prospective tenants and in re-leasing space to existing tenants. Those owners and managers may be national, regional, or local operators, public or private.
Operating Segments
We manage our operations on an aggregated, single segment basis for purposes of assessing performance and making operating decisions, and accordingly, have only one reporting and operating segment. See Note 2 in the accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements under “Segment Reporting.”
Corporate Responsibility Program
We maintain a corporate responsibility program that incorporates environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) initiatives into our overall business, investment, and asset management strategies. We are also committed to reporting of our ESG initiatives. Since December 2021, we have published an annual “Environmental, Social and Governance Report”, which includes information regarding our ESG policies and programs, historic results, and performance targets, including our long-term greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goal as approved by the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). In addition, annually we participate in the public disclosure rating process of the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark, which is an entity that provides a ranking system to evaluate and compare ESG practices in the real estate industry.
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Additional information regarding our corporate responsibility program will be included in our definitive Proxy Statement for our 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and our 2022 Environmental, Social and Governance Report, or sustainability report, is currently available under the “Corporate Responsibility” section of our website at www.stagindustrial.com. However, the information located on, or accessible from, our website, including our sustainability report, is not, and should not be deemed to be, part of this report or incorporated into any other filing that we submit to the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
Human Capital Management
We believe that demonstrating strong financial performance while also promoting awareness and respect for fundamental human rights is important to long-term value creation, business continuity and corporate success. As part of our commitment to providing a work environment that attracts, develops and retains high-performing individuals and that treats employees with dignity and respect:
• We offer equal employment opportunities to all of our employees and seek to foster a diverse and vibrant workplace with employees who possess a broad range of experiences, backgrounds, and skills. We continually assess and strive to enhance employee satisfaction and engagement. Our employees, many of whom have a relatively long tenure with the Company, have regular opportunities to participate in personal growth and professional development programs and social or team building events. We seek to identify and develop future leaders within the Company and periodically review with our Chief Executive Officer and board of directors the identity, skills, and characteristics of those persons who could succeed to senior and executive positions.
• We endeavor to maintain a workplace free from discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, military or veteran status, and political affiliate or activities, among others. We conduct employee training to prevent discrimination and harassment and monitor and address employee conduct.
• We are committed to compensating our employees well and at competitive industry rates while, at the same time, monitoring our compensation programs to ensure that we are continuously attracting and retaining top talent. We also provide our employees with highly competitive health and wellness benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life, and short-term disability insurance, with premiums that are entirely paid for by the Company. We also offer flexible spending accounts for medical expenses, a program to pay commuting and office parking costs with pre-tax income, and a competitive vacation policy, including paid holidays, personal time off, and other leave benefits.
• We seek to foster a corporate culture where our stakeholders, including our employees, engage in, and collaborate to extend resources towards, community development. In furtherance of this commitment, we partner with, and support, local charitable organizations that we believe are contributing to the growth and development of the community, particularly organizations assisting at-risk youth. Through our partnerships with these organizations, in recent years, our employees have committed significant time and resources to support children and young adults, including through personal donations, fundraising, and volunteer work.
As of December 31, 2023, we had 95 employees, none represented by a labor union.
Additional information regarding our human capital programs and initiatives will be included in our definitive Proxy Statement for our 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and is currently available under the “Corporate Responsibility” section of our website at www.stagindustrial.com. However, the information located on, or accessible from, our website is not, and should not be deemed to be, part of this report or incorporated into any other filing that we submit to the SEC.
Our Corporate Structure
STAG Industrial, Inc. was incorporated in Maryland on July 21, 2010. Shares of our common stock are publicly traded on the NYSE New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol “STAG.”
Our Operating Partnership was formed as a Delaware limited partnership on December 21, 2009. We own all of our properties and conduct substantially all of our business through our Operating Partnership. We are the sole member of the sole general partner of our Operating Partnership. As of December 31, 2023, we owned approximately 97.9% of the common units of limited partnership interest in our Operating Partnership (“common units”), and our current and former executive officers, directors, employees and their affiliates, and third parties owned the remaining 2.1%. The common units are not publicly traded, but each common unit receives the same distribution as a share of our common stock, the value of each common unit is tied to the value of a share of our common stock, and each common unit, after one year, generally may be redeemed (that is, exchanged) for cash in an amount equivalent to the value of a share of our common stock or, if we choose, for a share of common stock on a one-for-one basis. When redeeming common units for cash, the value of a share of our common stock is
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calculated as the average common stock closing price on the NYSE for the 10 trading days immediately preceding the redemption notice date.
We are structured as an umbrella partnership REIT, also known as an “UPREIT,” with our publicly-traded entity, STAG Industrial, Inc., operating as the REIT in the UPREIT structure, and our Operating Partnership operating as the umbrella partnership. This UPREIT structure provides us an opportunity to acquire properties on a tax-deferred basis by issuing common units in our Operating Partnership in exchange for properties.
The following is a simplified diagram of our UPREIT structure at December 31, 2023.
Additional Information
Our principal executive offices are located at One Federal Street, 23rd Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02110. Our telephone number is (617) 574-4777.
Our website is www.stagindustrial.com. Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, our Current Reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to any of those reports that we file with the SEC are available free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable through our website at www.stagindustrial.com. Also posted on our website, and available in print upon request, are charters of each independent committee of the board of directors, our code of business conduct and ethics and our corporate governance guidelines. Within the time period required by the SEC, we will post on our website any amendment to the code of business conduct and ethics and any waiver applicable to any executive officer, director or senior financial officer. The information found on, or otherwise accessible through, our website is not incorporated into, and does not form a part of, this report or any other report or document we file with or furnish to the SEC.
All reports, proxy and information statements and other information we file with the SEC are also available free of charge through the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
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