Sealy & Company - Home

Dave P. Draft is Chief Operating Officer of Sealy & Company and is responsible for maximizing investment returns, mitigating portfolio risk and executing business strategies across Sealy & Company’s current portfolio. Dave joined the firm in 2009 and oversees asset management, leasing and the development of annual business plans for the properties and the organization. He is also responsible for personnel and internal communication on a Company-wide basis and serves in an advisory role to the Chairman of the Board.

Prior to joining Sealy & Company, Dave served with First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: FR) for over 12 years, holding a number of senior executive positions and culminating with over six years as Executive Vice President of Operations, covering both domestic and international operations. These responsibilities involved oversight of over 110 million square feet of space, 1,200 buildings and 3,200 tenants across 35 markets. As a member of the Executive Management Committee, Dave was also involved in the acquisition, development and disposition of over $4 billion of industrial real estate. Included in the over 200 employees overseen by Dave was regional and corporate personnel, whose responsibilities included the portfolio, investment, development and redevelopment. Dave was also responsible for the Government Solutions and Corporate Services groups.

Dave’s experience in industrial and commercial real estate spans 35 years. During this time he has acquired and developed a substantial number of properties for his own account, has been a managing partner in numerous real estate ventures and was a founding principal of a commercial real estate brokerage, management and development company, Draft & Gantos Properties. This company was sold to First Industrial in conjunction with Dave’s appointment as its Senior Regional Director. The number of lease, purchase and sale transactions overseen by Dave during his career number in the thousands and include land development, ground-up construction, redevelopment and existing buildings.

Dave’s professional affiliations have included National, State and Local Realtor Associations, and he has been active in a leadership capacity for a private organization involved in charitable causes. His track record and experience in the commercial-industrial real estate industry have been widely recognized. While in the public sector, Dave’s leadership in customer relations produced the highest tenant satisfaction scores in the sector year-after-year, as measured by an independent, leading provider of such testing. Dave has been a frequent speaker at investor and analyst events throughout the Country.