April Zarate

Graham has established himself as a quarterback within Colliers Industrial National Team and as a leader within the Toronto  real estate industry.  He has specialized in the logistics and ecommerce sector across Canada for 25 years and has helped his clients through numerous market cycles. Together with his team, Graham is regularly called upon by North American industrial occupiers for his  real time market insights and his ability to execute  complicated real estate strategies.

Graham has a passion for the logistics industry and is a visionary within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) Industrial market.  He has helped launch several top industrial parks across the GTA,  and will continue to provide forward looking advice as  the GTA expands concentrically in search of labor, financial benefits & operational efficiency.  Graham is a founding member of Colliers North America’s Logistics Supply Chain and Transportation Team.  He and his team look forward to learning more about your corporate needs and sharing their industrial insights.

Large Format Industrial Occupier Leasing Projects

TJX / Winners / Home Sense – over 2 Million SF of fulfillment and distribution space across Canada

Best Buy Co.– over 1 Million SF of fulfillment and distribution space concentrated in the GTA

Walmart – 2 Million SF of fulfillment and distribution warehouse space within Mississauga and Cornwall

Canada Post Corporation – procurement of their GTA Central East fulfillment centre and processing hub

Gordon Food Service – 350,000 SF of freezer cooler warehouse facility and build to suit transaction + expansion of their Milton DC by another 200,000 SF

Bridgestone  Americas Tire Operations - 500,000 SF build-to-suit warehouse distribution facility

Key Industrial Land Projects

425 acres on behalf of Rice Group and Choice Property REIT which will soon become the largest industrial park under development within Ontario

245 acres on behalf of Oxford Properties to support approximately 4M SF of future industrial development

100 + 150 acres on behalf of Anatolia Capital which will witness in excess of 5M SF of future industrial development

200 acres on behalf of HOOPP and is currently the largest spec industrial park in Canada with approximately 4M SF actively under developed and over half pre-leased.

115 acres on behalf of the Picov Family and Blackwood Partners which is has been the largest land transaction and business park development in Durham over the past 15 years

Capital Market Projects

Summit REIT – acquisition of Volkswagen’s fulfillment, distribution facility in Ajax totaling 350,000 SF

GWL – sale of approximately 1 Million SF industrial portfolio in the GTA

KingSett – acquisition of a 220,000 SF existing building and 100,000 SF repositioning spec lease expansion followed by an investment sale to Bentall Kennedy

Hopewell – acquisition of a 30 acre site, spec development of 575,000 SF, future lease up and then subsequent capital market disposition once stabilized

SunLife – portfolio disposition of industrial, surplus land, office and retail portfolio within Burlington totaling over 600,000 SF

Industrial Listings

iPort Caledon, HOOPP – 4 Million SF industrial spec and build to suit leasing project

Pure Industrial – 1,000,000 SF spec industrial development near Munro Airport

Verus / Crestpoint – 600,000 SF spec pre-leasing program

Beedie – responsible for first 3 acquisitions within Ontario and future industrial strata projects across the GTA

CN Milton – 50 + 200 acres of future ground up industrial development directly across from the CN Intermodal Hub

I am a 20+ year veteran and consistent “Top 5” advisor nationally, resulting from my client-centric consultative approach and designing iron-clad solutions to complicated industrial transactions. With a specialization in large format distribution and fulfillment centers, my team maintain a dominant market share and significant influence within the Greater Toronto Industrial Market.
With a long-term view of achieving optimal results, I exclusively represent prominent corporate occupiers across Canada and the United States. I am often called upon as an expert witness to assist with legal proceedings pertaining to real estate disputes. This has provided me with laser insight into the unique challenges facing the real estate industry. I strive to provide superior client service and possess an unyielding entrepreneurial spirit and a collaborative work ethic, together with an industry reputation for having the utmost integrity, form the groundwork of my accomplishments.
The Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR) has twice recognized me as the Industrial Broker of the Year in Central Canada, an award based on significant deal transactions, contribution to the industry and an outside commitment to community service. 

I'm most proud of my wife and four children and the time we spend together with fridends at our family cottage on Georgian Bay.