Bill Crooker, president and CEO of STAG Industrial, Inc. (NYSE: STAG), sat down for a video interview during Nareit’s REITweek: 2025 Investor Conference in New York City on June 2-5.
Crooker reflected on the industrial sector’s recent performance, noting that while tariffs introduced some uncertainty, STAG responded with resilience. “We leased 1.4 million square feet of new leasing just in April and May,” Crooker said, highlighting strong activity early in the quarter. He added that tenants have begun making leasing decisions again, which he called “really positive for the sector.”
Crooker pointed to two notable achievements that will benefit STAG into 2025 and 2026. First, the company successfully completed development of its 300,000-square-foot Nashville facility, leasing 200,000 square feet immediately with no downtime and improving the development yield from 8.3% to 9.3%. Second, Moody’s upgraded STAG’s credit rating from Baa3 to Baa2, which Crooker said “should allow us to more efficiently access the public bond markets.”
Crooker emphasized that the company’s development pipeline offers the best opportunities for capital deployment, noting recent build-to-suit successes and upcoming projects.