A New Playbook for Digital Innovation in Industrial Real Estate
By Clark Ardern, Chief Technology Officer
When we build digital tools at Link Logistics, our goal isn’t simply to launch products. We aim to transform how we operate, how we serve our customers and how we deliver value as an industrial real estate firm. We view our Technology department not as a support function, but as a strategic advantage.
This belief has shaped how we’ve built our team and how we operate today. We are focused on delivering solutions that simplify operations, empower our people, and drive better outcomes for customers, employees and investors. The value of our approach shows up across the business, from streamlining lease processes to surfacing insights that guide portfolio strategy. It’s key to how we view digital transformation: not as something bolted on, but as something fully intertwined with the business.
Alignment by design
Structural alignment is our foundation. Within our Technology function, senior technology leaders are directly aligned with the firm’s areas of emphasis, partnering with their business counterparts to develop roadmaps, set priorities and move quickly. This alignment ensures we are developing tools and capabilities at scale to support what the firm needs.
Cross-functional collaboration isn’t a phase of our process; it is the process. Our Property Search product, for example, was built through close collaboration between our Technology, Leasing and Corporate Communications departments. The platform enables brokers, current customers and prospective customers to quickly identify the best locations for their business needs. It also provides the firm with valuable digital insights, improves leasing efficiency and bolsters customer retention.
Technology that works like the business
Our approach to technology reflects how our firm thinks about industrial real estate. We build for scalability and long-term value. This perspective has shaped a suite of custom products, including Property IQ, our map-based platform that serves as a digital twin for every asset we manage. With Property IQ, employees can quickly access operational, leasing and financial insights across our portfolio.
Another example is Clause IQ, our AI-powered lease abstraction tool that automates what was once a manual and time-consuming process. With Clause IQ, we have improved accuracy and enhanced customer service while driving more than $1.7 million in annual cost savings.
Other products, like Link+, our digital platform for customers, continue to underpin customer engagement at scale while reinforcing our commitment to usability and transparency. Link+ remains a foundational part of our digital ecosystem and continues to evolve based on feedback.
Across the board, our products are designed to make the business better, whether through automation, speed, usability or smarter decision-making. That includes our use of machine learning and predictive analytics to support rent and asset valuation analysis while staying ahead of supply chain trends. These models have enabled a measurable improvement in rental rates versus market benchmarks, translating directly into enhanced profitability and stronger property valuations.
Culture and accountability
Of course, none of this works without the right team. When I joined Link Logistics, the Technology function was a department of nine. Today, we are more than 115 strong. We have grown quickly, but with purpose. Our real estate experts understand technology and our technology experts understand real estate. Shared fluency is critical to how we work.
We also emphasize defined roles and accountability, with a clear strategy and experienced leaders empowered to own their functions. We believe in direct communication, measurable objectives and treating everyone—from peers to vendors—as a customer. This mindset helps us build trust and move quickly. It also helps us support each other through challenges. Some of my most meaningful leadership moments have come not from big wins, but from working one-on-one with team members who were struggling and helping them unlock their full potential.
Scaling innovation without starting over
Our Technology function has delivered six custom applications we couldn’t find in the marketplace and created a proprietary integration services layer to connect programs and streamline the flow of data. We also manage the Link Data Platform, which houses more than 25 billion data elements and serves as a systematized source of truth across the firm. These tools are helping us operate more efficiently and respond more nimbly to the needs of the business.
We’re proud of our individual wins, but the real story is the model we’ve built. That’s what I mean when I say that, at Link Logistics, we believe digital transformation isn’t a one-time initiative. It’s a capability, something we continually build, refine and scale. The results we’re seeing today are just the beginning of what’s possible when you align strategy, structure and people to innovate with purpose.
