From the deadly Spanish flu pandemic to the current health crisis, the Meritex Co. has survived and thrived through more than 100 years of history.

Harry McNeely, grandfather of the current chairman and CEO Paddy McNeely, founded the Minneapolis-based commercial real estate company with a single warehouse space in 1916 — just a year before the U.S. entered World War I and two years before the Spanish flu pandemic began.

The company, which focuses on light industrial properties, has since grown to include hundreds of tenants throughout the U.S. and a portfolio of more than 10 million square feet.

In the following interview, Paddy McNeely talks about the company’s rich history, keys to the firm’s success, and the state of the industry in the COVID-19 era.