When you own a business that sells something called Ice Age Meals, you know freezer space is an issue. So when Nick Massie, also known as Paleo Nick, local chef and owner of Paleo Productions, started scouting for real estate in Reno-Sparks, he was looking for one thing. And his options were limited – there aren’t many freezer facilities in the northern Nevada market. When he found a spot that he thought might work – a 2,000-foot space at 13945 Mount Bismark Street in Reno, formerly used by Kraft Foods for storing DiGiorno pizzas – he called up Tom Miller of Miller Industrial Properties for what would become one of the most unusual industrial real estate deals of Tom’s career.
“There is no way that this deal would have happened anywhere else,” says Miller. “We had to get really creative with this.” He’s referring to the one shot they had to overcome the challenging financial struggles that most young, rapidly-growing businesses experience. And so, they arranged a Shark Tank-style meeting with the sellers, knowing all too well that it was Nick’s big (and only) chance to impress.
“ ‘Tom said, ‘This is an opportunity for you, so do your best to impress these guys,’ ” says Nick. “So I brought them a twelve-pack of meals each, and they ended up heating up a butternut squash lasagna right there on the spot and they tried it out and they liked it.”
The sellers liked it enough that they agreed to help get Nick his much-needed freezer facility. One speedy creative financing arrangement later – escrow lasted fewer than ten days – and Nick is now in a great position to continue growing his business. The new space, which Nick has dubbed the Super Awesome Paleo Empire Compound (SAPEC), is 12.5 times the size of his current freezer. Nick and his Paleo Ninjas are working to modify the space for their needs. Future plans include a new kitchen facility and even a gym.
“My goal is to build an empire of health, fitness, tasty food and fun,” says Nick. The new freezer facility is a huge step in the right direction for his ambitious goal.
“I know Tom does huge transactions in large buildings,” says Nick, “and this was probably a brushing crumbs off the table thing for him, but in the end, he was fired up about it.”
The new facility couldn’t be more perfect for Ice Age Meals – the 3,780-square-foot facility features 2,000 square feet of freezer space.
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