Conflict-Free · Strategic · Independent

Where Occupier StrategyMeets Capital Innovation

Conflict-Free Advisory. Creative Structures. Aligned Results.

What If? · How About? · Why Not?

Most CRE advisors follow the same playbook. We wrote a different one. Conflict-free advisory for corporations, franchisees, and capital owners who need someone whose only incentive is their outcome.

I Occupier & Tenant Advisory II Capital & Transaction Advisory III Structured & Specialty Finance

30M+Sq Ft Transacted

$30B+In Transactions

~100 YrsCollective Experience

200+Industrial Deals

Pillar I

Occupier & Tenant Advisory

35+ years representing occupiers exclusively — office, industrial, retail. Never landlords. Never a conflict.

Pillar II

Capital & Transaction Advisory

Investment banking-grade capital markets expertise. MD-level experience at Credit Suisse and DLJ — brought to your real estate decision.

Pillar III

Structured & Specialty Finance

Pioneering structures that redefine what's possible — ground rent securitization, synthetic leases, leasehold bifurcation.

About the Firm

A Different Kind of CRE Advisor

At Aligned Interests Capital and Facility Solutions, conflict-free isn't a marketing phrase — it's the structural reality of how we're built. No ownership stakes. No developer fees. No lender relationships. No hidden incentive that competes with yours. We are paid to find you the best outcome, and that's the only thing we're trying to do.

With nearly a century of collective experience, our team has occupied roles that most advisory firms have only read about: tenant rep brokers, investment bankers at bulge-bracket firms, portfolio managers, developers, and a CFO of a nationally recognized company. That cross-disciplinary depth is the reason we find solutions that specialists miss.

We have executed some of the most consequential transactions in their respective markets — from pioneering QSR ground rent securitization, to anchoring the world's largest multi-tenant data center, to navigating complex restructurings that preserved family ownership when others said it couldn't be done.

The 4 Cs — Our Foundation

Curiosity

Thinking outside the box — the best solution often lives in a structure nobody has tried before.

Character

It's what you do when nobody is watching. Our advice doesn't change based on who benefits.

Commitment

Staying dedicated even in the face of obstacles — we don't declare victory until you do.

Collaboration

Leveraging diverse expertise — the best CRE outcomes rarely come from a single discipline.

30M+Sq Ft

$30B+Transacted

~100Yrs Combined

Our Capabilities

Three Practice Pillars

Whether you need help with a lease, unlocking capital from owned real estate, or pioneering a structure that doesn't yet exist — we have a dedicated practice around your need. Three pillars. One firm. No conflicts.

Pillar I · Occupier Advisory

Occupier & Tenant Advisory

35+ years representing occupiers exclusively — never landlords — across office, industrial, and retail assets nationwide. Our only loyalty is to the occupier at the table.

Tenant / Occupier Representation

Lease negotiation, renewals, relocations and portfolio strategy across all asset classes.

Strategic Lease Analysis & Audit

CAM overcharges, assessment errors and restructuring opportunities hiding in existing leases.

Build-to-Suit / Buy-to-Suit

Development advisory and site selection for national growth programs and HQ facilities.

Municipal Incentive Advisory

TIF, enterprise zone and relocation incentives — negotiated exclusively for the occupier.

Real Property Tax Advisory

Tax protestation, assessment review and ongoing property tax management.

Pillar II · Capital Advisory

Capital & Transaction Advisory

Investment banking-grade capital markets expertise applied to real estate — a combination most CRE boutiques simply cannot offer. MD-level experience at Credit Suisse and DLJ in service of your real estate decision.

Debt & Equity Advisory

Raising debt and equity for mid-cap corporations while preserving future capital capacity.

Sale-Leaseback Analysis & Execution

Full advisory — traditional, hybrid equity, and ground lease bifurcation structures.

Investment Advisory

Acquisition, disposition and portfolio optimization for owners, investors and REITs.

Asset Disposition

Managed dispositions including distressed assets and bankruptcy-adjacent situations.

Lease vs. Own Exit Planning

Financial modeling with full book/tax implications and long-range scenario analysis.

III

Pillar III · Structured Finance

Structured & Specialty Finance

Pioneering structures that most advisors have never executed. If the standard playbook doesn't serve your goals, we write a new one.

Ground Rent Securitization

Franchisee ground rent securitization — we pioneered this structure for major QSR operators. A national first.

Synthetic Lease Financing

Off-balance-sheet corporate real estate structures — 1.3M+ sq ft of executed experience.

Ground Lease + Leasehold Bifurcation

Land/building separation to maximize proceeds while preserving ownership and tax benefits.

Complex Bankruptcy & Distressed RE

Navigating real estate through restructuring while preserving ownership and operational continuity.

Expert Witness Testimony

Qualified expert testimony in valuation, lease disputes and financing structure matters.

Track Record of Aligned Team Members

Transactions That Defined Markets

Five milestone engagements — each one proof that asking "What If?" leads somewhere the standard playbook never reaches.

QSR · Structured Finance · National First

Innovating Ground Rent Securitization for a National QSR Franchisee

We engineered the first securitization of its kind — ground rent for one of the nation's largest QSR franchisees at a scale nobody had attempted. A transaction-based approach that turned conventional credit logic on its head.

ResultA non-credit franchisee achieved an interest rate lower than its own credit-rated franchisor. A national benchmark was set.

Insurance · Corporate HQ · Long-Term Advisory

Strategic Campus Expansion for a Prominent National Insurer

A prominent national insurer needed to expand its headquarters in a small town with limited options. Aligned sourced the right contractor, then structured a 20-year lease for 150,000 RSF with pre-arranged financing and a built-in mechanism providing the ability to double the entire campus in a future transaction.

ResultTwo decades of cost certainty. A campus-doubling option pre-wired into the structure. Growth optionality locked in from day one.

Manufacturing · Distressed · Sale-Leaseback

Preserving a Family Founder's Legacy During Financial Distress

When a renowned consumer goods manufacturer faced bankruptcy and potential loss of everything the founder had built, Aligned identified hidden asset value and executed a sale-leaseback at the critical moment — converting real estate into the liquidity needed to survive without surrendering control.

ResultThe founding family's stake and legacy were preserved. Restructuring completed. The company emerged intact.

Technology · Data Center · Anchor Tenant

Anchor Transaction — World's Largest Multi-Tenant Data Center

Aligned principals executed the anchor tenant transaction for what became the world's largest multi-tenant data center — the first major data center deal in Chicago. The pricing and lease structure set the market benchmark that competitors and underwriters referenced for years.

ResultMarket-defining anchor. Chicago established as a data center hub. Benchmarks adopted industry-wide.

Finance · Synthetic Lease · Off-Balance-Sheet

1.3 Million Sq Ft Synthetic Lease — National Finance Corporation

Structured a synthetic lease covering 1.3 million square feet for a national finance corporation — securing long-term occupancy at scale while keeping the liability entirely off-balance-sheet. Debt capacity was preserved for the operations that actually needed it.

Result1.3M sq ft secured. Balance sheet protected. One of the largest single-user synthetic lease transactions in the market.

The Team

People Who Have Done It Before

Nearly a century of combined experience across tenant representation, investment banking, development, and financial advisory. When you work with AICAF, you get people who have sat on every side of the table.

Robert Palffy

Founder & CEO

35+Yrs

30M+Sq Ft

$30B+Deals

Bob oversees every engagement from initiation through execution, bringing financial and operational depth that most firms can't match. Over 35 years, his tenant representation career has produced some of the most significant commercial real estate transactions in the country — from pioneering QSR structured finance that set new national benchmarks, to anchoring the world's largest multi-tenant data center. Global clients have included Old Republic Insurance, Clark Hill PLC, Edelman Public Relations, and Ziff-Davis Publishing.

University of Michigan · B.A. Economics & Political Science
University of Michigan · M.B.A. Finance & Accounting

📞 (312) 498-5611 ✉ BPalffy@AICAFSolutions.com

Michael Duncan

Co-Founder

MDCr. Suisse

MDDLJ

Cap.Markets

Mike brings genuine investment banking-grade capital markets depth that most CRE advisory firms simply cannot replicate — Managing Director experience at Patriot Capital, Credit Suisse, and Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette. He identifies and quantifies appreciated real estate value to preserve debt capacity while presenting financing alternatives built around each client's specific business plan. His Sears Tower re-leasing assignment after Sears' relocation to Hoffman Estates remains one of the most complex high-profile CRE engagements in Chicago history.

University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana · B.S. Accounting
University of Chicago Booth School of Business · M.B.A.

📞 (312) 953-9403 ✉ MDuncan@AICAFSolutions.com

Sean Bostrom

Advisor

200+Deals

$95M+Value

2016Chicago CRE

Sean brings a former NCAA athlete's competitive discipline to every client engagement — and it shows in his results. Since 2016, he has focused on the Chicagoland industrial market, advising public and private companies, owners, REITs, and developers in the acquisition, disposition, and leasing of industrial assets and land across the full metro. Over 200 completed transactions. Tailored solutions that align with the business, not just the real estate.

North Park University · B.S. Kinesiology
Scratch Golf Handicap — a relevant indicator of precision under pressure

📞 (312) 246-9278 ✉ SBostrom@AICAFSolutions.com

Get In Touch

Let's Find the Right Solution

Tell us what you're dealing with. We'll tell you what we'd do.

No standard pitch. No pre-packaged solution. Just an honest conversation about your situation — and what a conflict-free advisor with nearly a century of combined experience sees when they look at it. If we can help, you'll know. If someone else would serve you better, we'll tell you that too.

Robert Palffy

Founder & CEO · Tenant Rep & Transaction Advisory

(312) 498-5611 BPalffy@AICAFSolutions.com

Michael Duncan

Co-Founder · Capital Markets & Structured Finance

(312) 953-9403 MDuncan@AICAFSolutions.com

Sean Bostrom

Advisor · Occupier & Investment Services

(312) 246-9278 SBostrom@AICAFSolutions.com

AICAF

30M+ Sq Ft in Tenant Transactions◆ What If? · How About? · Why Not?◆ $30B+ Transaction Experience◆ Pioneered QSR Ground Rent Securitization — a national first◆ ~100 Years Collective Experience◆ Conflict-Free. Always.◆ 200+ Industrial Transactions · Chicagoland◆ Anchor Tenant — World's Largest Multi-Tenant Data Center◆ Curiosity · Character · Commitment · Collaboration◆ 1.3M Sq Ft Synthetic Lease · National Finance Corporation◆ Three Pillars: Occupier · Capital · Structured Finance◆ What If? · How About? · Why Not?◆ 30M+ Sq Ft in Tenant Transactions◆ What If? · How About? · Why Not?◆ $30B+ Transaction Experience◆ Pioneered QSR Ground Rent Securitization — a national first◆ ~100 Years Collective Experience◆ Conflict-Free. Always.◆ 200+ Industrial Transactions · Chicagoland◆ Anchor Tenant — World's Largest Multi-Tenant Data Center◆ Curiosity · Character · Commitment · Collaboration◆ 1.3M Sq Ft Synthetic Lease · National Finance Corporation