| Northstar Commercial Partners | |
| Type: | Private company |
| Industry: | Real estate |
| Founder: | Brian Watson |
| Location City: | Denver, Colorado |
| Location Country: | United States |
| Area Served: | United States |
| Key People: | Brian Watson (CEO) |
| Products: | Real estate investments and development |
Northstar Commercial Partners is an American commercial real estate investment company headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Founded by Brian Watson in 2000, the company acquires distressed commercial real estate or vacant properties and rehabilitates them for lease or use.
Watson is a former manager and director at Cushman & Wakefield.[1] [2] In 2014, Northstar founded the Education Opportunity Fund, a $100 million real estate investment fund for identifying and restoring old retail or education buildings, which are then leased to charter schools.[3] In addition, Northstar restores and leases other types of properties, such as warehouses, manufacturing centers, commercial offices, retail space, and senior care and medical facilities.[4] [5] In 2015, the firm launched Northstar Real Estate Opportunity Fund II, a $300 million private equity fund focused on institutional and private qualified or accredited investors.
In 2020 there were multiple allegations of financial wrong-doing and fraud against Brian Watson. In a bizarre set of events, Mr. Watson sent out a suicide note via email to a group of 20 people. In a multi-page ramble he addressed the allegations and individually addressed many people. He contemplated the weapon with which he will use for his final act. Seems like it was all a fabrication just like his real estate holdings. At this point, the website of his company is minimally operational and the state of his company is not known.
Northstar's current portfolio includes 42 assets totaling approximately 8 million square feet in 15 states and a potential market value of approximately $1.2 Billion.