Board Member Focus: Patrick Fisher
Patrick Fisher is a commercial real estate operator and developer who enjoys creating value for investors and improving communities. In 2015, fueled by these two passions, Fisher founded Lift Partners (Lift), a full-service real estate investment company focused on the adaptive re-use and value-add repositioning of industrial and office product. The firm is active along the West Coast with current and completed projects in the Bay Area, Southern California, and Seattle markets. “I love working with great people and investing on behalf of our investors to improve communities and produce value add returns,” he said.
One of the deals Fisher is most excited about is 201 Toland St. in San Francisco, a 30k SF in-fill truck terminal situated on 2.75 acres. Lift acquired the building, which is one of the last truck terminals in the City, in March 2020. Fisher and his team overcame many challenges on the path to realizing their vision for the property and they ultimately leased the space to a credit tech tenant on a long-term lease.
Fisher’s background prepared him well for his current role. Prior to founding Lift, he served as a Managing Partner of MHF Real Estate, a Receivership & Asset Management firm that managed 2M square feet of commercial assets on behalf of GE Capital, CIII Realty, CW Capital, and Wells Fargo. Prior to joining MHF, he served as Vice President of Real Estate Capital Investments for Wells Fargo Bank, a $500 million joint venture equity platform, where he sourced and managed joint venture equity investments on the West Coast. Earlier in his tenure at Wells Fargo, Fisher served as a Vice President of REO responsible for managing a $200M portfolio of distressed commercial real estate assets throughout the United States. Fisher started his career as an Analyst for Equity One, now Regency Centers (NYSE: REG).
Recently, Fisher took on a leadership role within NAIOP SFBA when he was appointed to the Board in September 2021. He credits the organization with helping him develop a strong network and increasing his market knowledge.
“I really appreciate how NAIOP connects the real estate community,” he said. “Many of the people I have met have become valuable business contacts and life-long friends."
In terms of advice for young professionals, Fisher recommends finding great people to work with and be mentored by. Early in his career he worked for the CIO of Equity One, now Regency (NYSE: REG) and it was an extremely positive experience. “His high character coupled with a best-in-class work ethic and willingness to mentor laid the foundation for where I am today,” said Fisher. “If you focus on finding people to work for who will invest in your success you will have a successful and meaningful career.”
On the personal front, Fisher was born in Detroit, Michigan and grew up in Saratoga, California. While earning his B.A. at University of California, Berkeley he served as Captain of the Men's Division 1 Soccer Team and after graduating played briefly in Major League Soccer. Today Fisher makes his home in Ross, California where he and his wife Caitlin spend most of their time chasing after their three kids under the age of seven, Beau (7), Grace (5) and Henry (3).
