Torch Properties, a local commercial real estate investment firm, has hired Eileen Lewis, a veteran Tucson commercial property manager, in the role of Director of Property Management.  Eileen will oversee and manage Torch Properties' growing portfolio of real estate investment properties in Tucson

​Eileen Lewis is a long-time Tucsonan who began her career in commercial property management in 1991. Eileen has extensive experience and progressive growth in directing all aspects of property management operations. Her solid expertise in providing hands-on leadership to facilitate business growth, strategic market analysis and financial administration initiatives has made her a valued partner for her clients and tenants. Eileen’s maintains strong industry involvement with Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) and Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW). Her experience managing office, industrial and retail assets, along with business owner associations, has shaped her well-rounded property management experience.

Torch Properties owns and manages more than 500,000-square-feet of Commercial Real Estate in Southern Arizona.

Torch and BRD focus on purchasing value-add commercial property, multi-tenant business parks and industrial property in Southern Arizona. 
​
BRD Realty represents the sales and leasing division of Torch Properties where Brandon Rodgers, CCIM, is owner and director and Max Fisher is the Director of Sales and Leasing. 
​

On average, an EV requires 5-6x more copper than an internal combustion vehicle. Every year, 95,000,000 new vehicles are produced and in 2020, 3,900,000 million EVs were sold with a 39% year over year increase. Today, Tesla has the largest market cap of any vehicle manufacturer, signaling a strong shift from combustion to EV. 

As the EV market and electrification of India and China grows at a quick pace, we can expect demand for copper to increase quickly. Unlike lumber, mining a new copper deposit takes decades from identifying a deposit to gaining environmental and political approval to building the mining infrastructure. In 2020, most copper mines were shut due to COVID, creating a decrease in supply. This combination of steady but tough to increase supply and mine shut downs is brewing a supply issue that should hit Q3-Q4, meanwhile the demand is increasing at the fastest rate seen in decades.

Copper prices have already risen from $2.60 per pound to $4.50 per pound year over year and we haven't experience supply turbulence yet. Large cap stocks such Freeport MacMoran have seen a 3x valuation increase as copper prices have risen within the past year, while other Arizona small cap stocks such as Hudbay and Excelsior have seen more moderate increases. Hudbay has recently identified a new copper rich deposit north of the Santa Ritas and Excelsior is drilling towards a copper rich deposit in Cochise county. In Q1 the Resolution copper mine near Globe Arizona was approved and then put on hold the following day, held up in the courts. Because Arizona has  many copper rich deposits and Chile is contemplating adding a 40% copper mining tax, Arizona may see new mines opening up and/or old copper mines re-opening. 

We have seen many mining exploration firms active in the industrial market and increasing their core sample storage facilities. This most likely means that copper mining companies are bullish on the future of copper prices and see lots of demand in the future. 

Those who got rich in the California gold rush got rich selling picks and shovels. Copper is the pick and shovel of the EV revolution. 

"We can expect more inflation from federal cash injections, panic buying, migration and increased demand. We do not see inflation slowing by the end of the year."
"Rumblings of new land acquisitions in Gila, Pinal, Pima, and Cochise County most likely point to mining exploration and potential new mines"
"The future of consumer based real estate is last mile. In New York City, property near subways is worth more. Is the future of real estate values based on proximity to distribution centers???"