Today we’d like to introduce you to Albert Martinez-Castro.
Hi Albert, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
At 5 a.m., my 16-year-old self was painting the exterior walls of a Target. By that point, it was already my fourth Target project.
I grew up in a commercial painting family business. Being the owner’s son came with privileges, but also responsibilities. I started working in the business back in middle school, so by the time I graduated college I had already spent over a decade on construction sites.
Most of my summers were spent painting retail centers, big box stores, and apartment complexes. While working, I was often the fly on the wall listening to conversations between building owners, property managers, and contractors. Sure, the immediate goal was to paint the building, but I became fascinated by the bigger picture.
Was the building getting a facelift after a renovation? Was the work part of deferred maintenance? Or were they preparing the property for sale?
I found myself constantly wondering what was happening behind the scenes. How does a physical building actually generate income? Rent is the obvious answer, but I wanted to understand the full picture. How do people acquire multi-million-dollar properties? How does the whole system work?
That curiosity eventually led me into commercial real estate. I studied real estate development, city planning, and finance in college, where I was fortunate to find great mentors and learn a lot about the industry.
Today I work in commercial real estate specializing in cannabis properties. I help clients buy or lease properties for dispensaries, cultivation facilities, and manufacturing operations. It’s been an exciting space to be in since Minnesota legalized cannabis.
A lot of the job is hearing a thousand “no’s” before finally finding the one “yes,” but that’s part of the process. Along the way, I’ve learned more about zoning, municipal regulations, and cannabis operations than I ever expected, and I’m still learning every day.
In a way, I went from painting buildings to helping people invest in them.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been the smoothest road. One of the earliest challenges was figuring out my own path while growing up in a family business. I loved being part of it and supporting my family, especially while I was in college, but I also felt a strong pull to explore my own direction in real estate. Finding the courage to step away from something familiar and build my own career was not easy.
Another adjustment was learning how to navigate the corporate and professional world after growing up in a blue-collar environment. Construction sites and job sites were what I knew best, so stepping into commercial real estate required learning a completely different language and way of operating.
On top of that, working in a niche like cannabis real estate comes with its own obstacles. The industry is new, highly regulated, and constantly evolving. Deals can fall apart, zoning can change, and sometimes you hear a lot more “no” than “yes.”
There have definitely been moments where I questioned whether my goal of becoming a real estate developer in this space was realistic. But one of my mentors once told me something that stuck with me: “There ain’t nothing to it but to do it.” That mindset has helped me keep pushing forward and figuring things out along the way.
We’ve been impressed with Meta Commercial Realty, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I work with Meta Commercial Realty, where we specialize in commercial real estate with a focus on the cannabis industry. Our team helps operators find and secure properties for dispensaries, cultivation facilities, and manufacturing operations.
Because cannabis is such a highly regulated industry, real estate plays a huge role in whether a business can actually open its doors. Zoning, municipal regulations, licensing caps, and landlord willingness all come into play. A big part of what we do is helping clients navigate that complexity and identify properties that are actually viable for cannabis operations.
Our brokerage services are the core of what we do, but we also help clients connect with financing options and other ancillary services within the industry. The goal is to help operators move from simply having a license or business idea to actually opening a functioning location.
What I’m most proud of is the team culture we’ve built at Meta. Everyone is constantly sharing knowledge, supporting each other, and learning from one another. The cannabis industry changes quickly, so having a collaborative team that’s always adapting and problem-solving together makes a big difference.
Ultimately, we see ourselves as more than just brokers. We’re helping shape a brand-new industry in Minnesota, and it’s exciting to be part of that process.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Over the next five to ten years, I see the cannabis industry becoming much more stable and efficient. Right now, Minnesota is still in the early stages of building out the market, so there are naturally some growing pains.
One of the biggest challenges at the moment is supply. There simply isn’t enough product available yet to meet the demand that will come from dispensaries. A big reason for that is the bottleneck in lab testing. Every cannabis product has to go through testing before it can be sold, and right now there aren’t enough licensed labs to process everything quickly.
As I’m writing this, I’ve heard estimates that it could take anywhere from six to twelve weeks before we start seeing more consistent product availability on dispensary shelves.
That said, this is all part of the early-stage process. As more cultivators come online, more labs open, and the regulatory framework continues to mature, the market will start to operate much more smoothly.
In the next few years, I believe Minnesota’s cannabis industry will become a well-oiled machine. Right now the entire state, from regulators to operators, is still figuring out how to get everything running efficiently, but once those systems are in place, the industry has the potential to grow significantly.
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