Building Success in Central Florida: Inside Link Logistics’ Regional Construction Operations 

Meet Colin Black, senior manager of Regional Construction for Link Logistics, who oversees warehouse renovations and industrial property construction across Central Florida to ensure the firm’s logistics real estate portfolio meets the evolving needs of businesses in the area. Read on to learn how he navigates the complexities of industrial real estate construction—and what keeps him grounded outside the office.

How long have you been with Link Logistics and what's your role in industrial real estate?

Colin: I've been with Link Logistics since June 2022, and I oversee regional construction for industrial properties in the Orlando and Jacksonville markets. I started working at the firm in South Florida, managing warehouse construction projects in the Miami-Broward area. When an opportunity became available in Central Florida, I relocated to take on an expanded role.

What are your primary responsibilities in regional construction for warehouses and distribution centers?

Colin: My team and I are responsible for all warehouse renovations and construction projects across Link Logistics’ Central Florida logistics facilities. When a customer moves out of a distribution center or warehouse space, we step in to refresh and reconfigure the industrial property for the next tenant. We also manage building modifications, whether that's expanding warehouse space, building out office areas or adjusting industrial facility layouts. Essentially, my team and I coordinate any warehouse construction projects or industrial property improvements from start to finish.

What types of industrial facilities do you work with most in Central Florida?

Colin: We primarily work with front-load industrial warehouses and distribution centers in Central Florida. These industrial facilities have an office portion and a warehouse portion, and the warehouse space is typically two to three times larger than the office area. It's the standard setup you see across logistics real estate, designed to accommodate both administrative functions and the actual storage and distribution operations that keep supply chains moving.

Can you share examples of typical warehouse construction projects you manage?

Colin: Industrial property construction projects range dramatically in size and complexity. On the larger end, I recently worked on a warehouse renovation for an industrial space just under 200,000 square feet after a customer moved out. They had installed very tenant-specific infrastructure over their 15 years in the logistics facility—things like safes and generators built for their unique operations. My responsibility was to convert that specialized industrial property back into a common-use warehouse that any customer could lease and enjoy. 

On the smaller side, we recently had a customer who builds food trucks move into one of our 15,000-square-foot industrial facilities. They needed a way to bring trucks inside the warehouse, so we had to install a new loading ramp and expand the dock door opening to their logistics space. I partnered with our building department and structural engineers to ensure the warehouse modifications were properly executed. Even though it seemed like a straightforward industrial property improvement, we had to ensure everything was code-compliant and would also benefit future customers. 

What do you enjoy most about working in regional construction for industrial real estate? 

Colin: The most rewarding part of my job managing warehouse construction and industrial property projects is helping businesses establish their operations, whether they're small startups or large corporations. These companies are entrusting their operations and employees to our warehouse facilities, so we try to make the move-in process as accommodating as possible. When a company moves into one of our industrial properties, becomes successful operating from our facilities and comes back asking for additional Link Logistics warehouse space—that's when you’re proud to have played a role in their journey.

Who do you work with to complete regional construction projects across Link Logistics’ Central Florida portfolio? 

Colin: Internally, I work closely with our Asset Management and Property Management teams on warehouse projects and buildouts. Asset Management leases our spaces and brings in new customers. Property Management oversees the day-to-day operations of our industrial facilities. Our Regional Construction team coordinates with both teams to build out spaces for customers, then hands off the completed spaces to Property Management so they can kick start the move-in process. 

Externally, I partner with our customers, building departments and municipalities to ensure Link Logistics delivers quality industrial real estate that is code-compliant and safe to occupy. Whether it's installing fire safety systems or ensuring ADA compliance, we have to check all the boxes internally and externally to give Asset Management and Property Management the cleanest, safest spaces to lease to our customers.

What skills are most important for success in regional construction?

Colin: The ability to pivot is essential when managing warehouse construction and distribution center projects. I think of industrial property construction projects like planting a seed and watching it grow into a tree. As that tree grows, different branches take different directions. My responsibility is to make sure our warehouse projects keep growing in the right direction, even when challenges arise.

You also need the ability to partner with people who work at different paces throughout the projects. I often find myself coordinating with cross-functional teams, building departments, customers and colleagues simultaneously across five logistics facility projects at once. Sometimes you need to slow down to catch up with one stakeholder, and other times you need to speed up to keep pace with someone else’s timeline. Being able to compartmentalize the moving pieces and connect the dots until the projects are completed keeps everything moving forward.

What makes Link Logistics' approach to industrial real estate and warehouse operations different?

Colin: Some industrial real estate owners only want big-box customers like Walmart, Target or Tesla. Link Logistics’ approach is different. We own so many different industrial properties that—whether a business needs 15,000 or 400,000 square feet of warehouse space—we have options to support their success. 

Many of the big corporations you know probably started out in a small warehouse facility. Link Logistics wants to be part of those origin stories, so that when a company looks back at their growth years from now, they can say their relationship with Link Logistics helped them thrive.

When you aren't thinking about warehouses or expanding dock doors, what do you enjoy doing?

Colin: I'm a family guy. Living in Central Florida means we spend time at Disney World, take drives on the beach—yes, some beaches here let you drive your car right on the sand—or explore the parks and natural springs throughout the area. Creating meaningful memories with family is what matters most to me outside of work.