How It Works
The 0-0-0 Operator-First Promise
Before you read how this works, here's what it isn't:
- 0% of your equity. We don't invest in your business. Ever.
- 0% royalties or revenue share. You keep 100% of what your business earns.
- $0 of your capital until move-in. No deposits, no progress payments, no draws. Rent starts when you physically occupy the building.
We are a commercial real estate owner. Not a business investor. Not a franchisor. Not a developer building from scratch. Our founders bring 20+ years of commercial real estate investing experience and 20+ years inside the automotive aftermarket. We acquire existing industrial buildings and configure them for operators. That's the entire model.
The Problem
Every automotive aftermarket business hits the same wall. You've outgrown your current space — or you never had the right space to begin with. You need configured to spec infrastructure: three-phase power, reinforced slabs, proper ventilation, compliant drainage, the right door configurations. But finding it means navigating a commercial real estate market that wasn't built for you.
Generic landlords don't understand automotive operations. Many won't lease to them at all. If you do find space, you're looking at $200K–$500K+ in tenant improvements out of your own pocket and 6–12 months of construction management before you can even start operating. And all that money you put in? It builds equity for your landlord — not for you.
The Solution
Downforce Capital exists to solve this problem. We acquire the building, configure it to your specs, and fund the entire buildout — anywhere in the U.S., with lease structures designed around your business. Whether you need 10,000 SF or 100,000 SF, the facility gets configured around your operation, not the other way around.
We acquire industrial buildings and renovate them specifically for automotive aftermarket operations — performance shops, fabrication, distribution, PPF/wrap/tint, off-road builders, tuning, parts manufacturing. Every dollar of improvement is funded by us. You never put up capital for construction.
We're not generic landlords who happen to lease to automotive tenants. We're from this industry. We're SEMA and PRI members. We maintain partnerships with equipment manufacturers like BendPak, Rotary Lift, Hunter Engineering, and Global Finishing Solutions. We know the difference between what a tuning shop needs and what a fulfillment center needs — and we configure to those specifications.
Nobody in commercial real estate builds for automotive aftermarket operations. We do.
Infrastructure That Just Works.
These are the structural specs every facility we configure carries by default. Talk to us about what your operation needs on top of these.
Reinforced concrete slab (6-inch minimum) — holds 4-post lifts, frame machines, and fabrication tables.
Three-phase power (200A+ service) — runs plasma tables, rotary phase converters, and multi-lift bays simultaneously.
14-ft minimum clear height — 4-post lift with a truck on it, frame table with clearance for a rotisserie.
Overhead doors sized to your equipment — your longest vehicle, your tallest fixture, your widest fabrication.
Compressed air drops at every bay — no hoses across the shop floor. Every station ready to work.
Exhaust extraction where you need it — dyno cells, paint prep, welding — engineered per your process.
Which Structure Fits Your Situation?
What We Bring to the Table
Move-In-Ready Facilities
Our properties come equipped with the infrastructure automotive aftermarket businesses actually need — heavy-duty floors, three-phase power, compliant drainage and ventilation systems, and the door configurations your operation requires. You walk into a functional space, not a construction project.
Equipment Partnerships
Launching or expanding an operation means sourcing lifts, booths, tooling, and more — often from a dozen different vendors. We maintain partnerships with leading equipment manufacturers, giving our tenants access to bundled packages and preferred pricing. One relationship. One buildout. One move-in date.
Environmental Compliance — Handled
Hazardous materials, floor containment, oil-water separation, ventilation codes — these are the things that keep generic landlords away from automotive tenants. We configure compliance into the property from day one, protecting both you and the asset. You focus on your operation. We handle the building.
National Reach, Local Execution
Whether you're opening your first location or expanding across multiple markets, we source, acquire, and deliver space on your timeline. We operate a standardized process that lets us evaluate buildings fast and get you operational faster than any traditional real estate path.
THE TRUE COST OF GOING DIRECT
VS. CONFIGURED-TO-SPEC
What an automotive aftermarket operator typically spends to get a building from "I bought it" to "I'm operating in it" — versus what you spend with us.
- Down payment on building (SBA 504 / 7(a), 10–15%)$150K – $400K
- SBA loan fees, title, legal, closing$55K – $130K
- Architecture + MEP engineering$75K – $240K
- Phase I + Phase II environmental assessments$3.5K – $45K
- Slab reinforcement for lifts and equipment$85K – $220K
- Three-phase electrical upgrade (400–800A service)$45K – $160K
- Spray booth, ventilation, fire suppression$25K – $95K
- Zoning entitlements + Conditional Use Permit$8K – $50K
- Equipment financing down payment (lifts, dyno, etc.)$25K – $90K
- Lost revenue during 3–9 month build-out$180K – $900K
$0 from you.
We acquire the building. We fund the configuration. We manage the permits. We coordinate the equipment partnerships.
You move in operational on Day 1. Rent starts on move-in day — not before.
- Total upfront capital:$0
- Royalties or revenue share:0%
- Equity surrendered:0%
Ranges are illustrative and compiled from publicly available industry data including SBA SOP 50 10 7.1, CBRE Industrial Outlook, JLL Light Industrial Reports, RSMeans, NFPA 33, NECA standards, Marshall & Swift, and IBISWorld Automotive Aftermarket. Actual costs vary by building, market, equipment scope, and tenant operating profile. Representative for performance shops, fabrication operations, PPF and wrap installers, parts distributors, off-road outfitters, and restoration shops.