CashFlow Quest Episode 31
How One Rookie Deal Sparked a Storage Empire | Brian Gringer
Bryan Grissinger is Co-Founder and Principal at Frontera Real Estate, a self-storage investment firm with more than $250 million in assets under management. With a background in architecture, he transitioned into construction and eventually found his stride in real estate private equity and development. His strategic focus on under-served, supply-constrained markets has helped Frontera thrive through disciplined underwriting and repeatable operational systems. Listeners can learn more about Bryan Grissinger on LinkedIn – / bryan-grissinger-45ab81b and Frontera Real Estate: https://www.fronterarealestate.com
In this episode of CashFlow Quest, hosts Blake Comfort and Jennifer Purcell sit down with Bryan Grissinger to explore his journey from architecture school at Notre Dame to becoming the founder of a thriving self-storage investment firm with over $250 million in assets. Bryan shares how an early career in billion-dollar construction projects gave him the technical chops, but it was a single risky deal—underwritten in Hawaiian shirts—that ignited his passion for self-storage. He reflects on key lessons from his father’s real estate losses, the importance of operational control in asset classes, and the overlooked inefficiencies in the storage market that allowed his firm to scale. The conversation dives deep into entitlements in California, using AI for site design, cap rate discipline, and why sometimes the simplest solutions yield the best returns. Bryan also opens up about living minimally, building strong LP relationships, and the mindset that continues to guide Frontera’s growth
Blake Comfort
Blake Co-Founded Comfort Communities in 2008 and began working to acquire manufactured home communities in order to build the investment and management company that exists today. Comfort Communities first manufactured home community was purchased in 2009 and has continued to grow and purchase many more manufactured home communities ever since. Blake currently handles all the business development & acquisitions for Comfort Communities.