Today we’d like to introduce you to Nate Tower.
Hi Nate, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started in commercial real estate at a brokerage and property-management firm in Baltimore, where I learned the business from the ground up. Those early years exposed me to everything from leasing to property operations, and they taught me discipline, persistence, and an appreciation for the fundamentals.
After earning my master’s in real estate from Johns Hopkins, I joined Phillips Edison & Company. At the time, the company owned only a few centers, and I was fortunate to be part of a period of significant growth. Over roughly a decade, we expanded to nearly 90 grocery-anchored shopping centers across the country. During that time we completed around 50 acquisitions, buying about 85 centers in 50 transactions, and built a strong track record of value creation and operational improvement.
That experience cemented my belief in grocery-anchored, necessity-based retail as a stable and enduring asset class. In 2005, I founded Broad Reach Retail Partners to put that philosophy into practice with a hands-on, disciplined approach to acquisition, leasing, and redevelopment. Since then, we’ve steadily grown our footprint by acquiring, revitalizing, and repositioning grocery-anchored and community retail centers across the U.S.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Like most entrepreneurial stories, the road has had its ups and downs, but those challenges shaped who we are. We’ve navigated economic cycles, shifts in consumer behavior, and constant changes in the retail landscape. Early on, one of our biggest hurdles was proving that grocery-anchored centers still had a strong future even as e-commerce and big-box retail seemed to dominate the conversation.
Maintaining a disciplined investment approach has also been an ongoing test. It requires patience, thoughtful underwriting, and a strong in-house team willing to do the heavy lifting. But that discipline is one of the reasons Broad Reach continues to grow. Each challenge pushed us to think long term, treat tenants and communities as true partners, and stay focused on necessity-based retail. That focus is what steadies us and keeps us committed to building value over time.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Broad Reach is a fully integrated owner and operator of grocery-anchored and necessity-based shopping centers. We handle acquisitions, due diligence, leasing, redevelopment, property management, marketing, and operations internally. Having everything under one roof allows us to move quickly, understand our properties deeply, and tailor strategies to each center’s unique needs.
We focus on necessity-based retail because these are the places people rely on every day—where they shop for food, pharmacy needs, household goods, and services that don’t disappear when trends shift. That emphasis helps our centers stay resilient in both strong and uncertain markets.
One way we describe our work is “recycling retail.” We take underperforming or overlooked centers, stabilize them, reposition them, and bring them back to life so they can serve their communities again. I’m proud that our model continues to stay relevant as the retail landscape evolves. We’ve kept acquiring, redeveloping, signing new leases, and delivering value to both tenants and investors.
What matters most to me, though, is the way we do the work. I want Broad Reach to be known for integrity, partnership, and purpose. Retail real estate isn’t just about buildings or square footage—it’s about people, the local economy, and the community around each center.
We aim to create:
• Thoughtful, community-oriented centers
• A hands-on, in-house team that acts with urgency and care
• Long-term relationships with tenants, investors, and brokers
• Real value through repositioning and active management
In short, we build retail centers that matter—to the people who shop there, to the tenants who operate there, and to the partners who invest in them.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Baltimore is a city with grit, heart, and enormous potential. I’ve always appreciated its sense of community and the way people here support one another. Many of the foundational lessons that shaped my career came from mentors and colleagues in this city, and those relationships influenced the culture we’ve built at Broad Reach.
If there’s something I wish were different, it’s the pace at which the city realizes its potential. Baltimore has everything it needs—history, talent, strong institutions, and a deep sense of identity—but, like many cities, progress can be uneven. Continued investment and collaboration are essential.
That said, I’m optimistic. I’ve spent most of my life and career connected to Baltimore, and I believe strongly in its resilience and its future.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.broadreachretail.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/broadreachretailpartners/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/broadreachretail
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/broad-reach-retail-partners-llc
- Twitter: https://x.com/BROAD_REACH
