How Pacific Workplaces Is Turning Flexible Office Into a 25% IRR Real Estate Strategy

How Pacific Workplaces Is Turning Flexible Office Into a 25% IRR Real Estate Strategy

From Groundbreakers by Domingo Valadez

April 14, 2026 · 40 min · Episode 104

About this episode

Ben Wright discusses how Pacific Workplaces is leveraging flexible office spaces to create a profitable real estate strategy amidst changing market dynamics.

In this episode of Groundbreakers , we’re joined by Ben Wright , Chief Growth Officer at Pacific Workplaces , one of the West Coast’s most established flexible workspace platforms. While many investors wrote off office after the WeWork collapse and the rise of remote work, Ben shares why the real story is just beginning. Pacific has quietly built 16 profitable locations over 23 years , with a differentiated model that combines flexible workspace, virtual offices, meeting rooms, and service-based recurring revenue. We dive into why San Francisco’s AI-driven rebound , changing workplace behavior, and landlord demand for flexible operators are creating one of the most overlooked opportunities in commercial real estate today. Ben also breaks down Pacific’s expansion strategy, how they’re underwriting new locations, and why their latest fund is targeting a 10% preferred return and 25% net IRR over a 5–7 year hold . Key Points Discussed Why flexible workspace is still only ~3% of the office market How Pacific generates 32% of revenue outside of desks Why virtual office products are an underrated cash flow driver The macro tailwinds from AI and San Francisco’s recovery Why landlords…

People in this episode

Host: Domingo Valadez

Guest: Ben Wright

Topics covered

  • flexible workspace
  • commercial real estate
  • investment strategy
  • office market trends
  • Pacific Workplaces
  • AI-driven recovery

Keywords

  • flexible office
  • 25% IRR
  • real estate strategy
  • San Francisco recovery
  • office market
  • Pacific Workplaces
  • investment thesis

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Pacific Workplaces

Products: virtual offices, meeting rooms, flexible workspace

Places: San Francisco, West Coast

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