Editor’s Note: Alex Payne is a partner in Garden Grove-based CubeWorld USA, which helps companies relocate and liquidate their offices, and a co-owner of logistics firm World Transporter. The Business Journal’s annual report on Tenant Improvement Contractors begins on page 18.
Imagine being an immigrant kid who came to this great country in search of the American dream, and looking at your first deal that results in a profit of more than $100,000.
The first thing that came to my mind was not “What should I buy myself with this money?” or not even “Where should I invest this money to make more money?”
No, the first thing that came to mind was “Who am I to make this kind of money from a single deal?”
In 2024, I brokered my first major deal in the commercial real estate industry. A SpaceX affiliate acquired a new commercial building and needed almost 1,000 cubicles to furnish it. This kind of deal is called “a whale” in my industry, and sourcing 1,000 matching cubicles in one shot and on time was no small task.
Even some of the biggest and most experienced dealers in the nation would have a hard time fulfilling this order in one shot. But through hard work, resilience, numerous calls/emails, flying to different states, pure faith and a little bit of luck, I struck gold!
I sourced the product in the Midwest, connected the right people, used my negotiation skills, and brokered the deal. Before the deal closed, I looked at the profit margins and, instead of being super excited, I thought I wasn’t worthy of this kind of money. So, the deal slipped out of my hands… But that was only the beginning. What happened after that not only propelled me further into the industry but also changed my entire life.
From a Medical Student to a Cop
In the late 1980s, I was born in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, which was part of the USSR. My parents were communists because they were raised to belong to the party from a very young age. When the USSR collapsed in 1991, it was not easy for its citizens to adapt to the ways of capitalism. Many of them, like my parents, often spoke about the “good old Soviet days.” I can’t speak about how good or bad those days were, but I can tell you that the people of that generation were intelligent, kind, hard-working and respectful.
My sister and her family came to the U.S. first, then she brought my mother in 1999. For six years, I didn’t see my mother, who is my hero because she worked below minimum wage to pay for my English lessons and attorney fees to bring me to the U.S.
When I finally arrived at age 16, we lived in Glendale and then Burbank. I was old enough to have deeply rooted values and morals, but young enough to adapt to the American ways. I changed my last name from Aleshkevich to Payne because it’s easier to pronounce, and it was a way to start my own family legacy.
I attended UCI because my friends told me great things about the school, and I learned that Orange County is a great place to live. My parents wanted me to become a doctor, so in 2013, I obtained my bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from UCI. However, towards the end of my undergraduate career, I developed a passion for law enforcement. In 2016, I received a Master of Advanced Study degree in Criminology, Law and Society, also from UCI. And the same year, I entered the LAPD Police Academy.
For the next eight years, I lived out my dream and loved every moment of it.
I was never involved in any shootouts, but I’ve had plenty of car pursuits, foot pursuits, fights, riots, critical incidents, fatalities and even suicide subject negotiations. I’ve had people die in my arms, I’ve seen miracles and I’ve seen people lose their lives by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. In 2020, I went through the George Floyd riots and was boots on the ground when the City of Santa Monica was in flames. Police work taught me to value every day and be grateful.
It was that year that I realized I should never work for anyone else. I found myself expected to carry out workplace policies that often conflicted with my personal beliefs, including enforcing COVID-19 protocols and policies regarding gender identity. The more I saw decisions driven by politics rather than what I believed was common sense, the more I realized my moral compass would not allow me to stay quiet.
Plus, I have always had entrepreneurial qualities in me since I was a child.
The Entry Into Business
In 2022, I met Kevin Maxwell, a successful young business owner and founder of Cube World USA, a turn-key commercial office solutions company in Orange County. He became my business mentor and took me under his wing. I worked three days a week as a police officer, and the other four days, I was a sponge around Kevin. I’d shadow him during his business and client meetings, pick his brain, study the industry and watch him negotiate, persuade and close deals. A year later, I closed my first sale for a known law firm in Beverly Hills, and I got hooked.
Providing turn-key commercial office solutions was fun. But being an entrepreneur gave me a strong sense of purpose and excitement, without the danger of police work.
Fast forward to 2026: I am no longer a police officer and am now running multiple companies. Kevin is still a mentor but is also my best friend and a business partner. Cube World USA has grown to six locations nationwide, including operations in Canada and Mexico. Over the years, we became preferred vendors for many Fortune 500 companies nationwide and are now considered one of the “big dogs” in the industry.
Some of my biggest projects included clients such as Alkeme, Archer, Hyundai, Irvine Company, Cushman & Wakefield, JLL, Masimo, SpaceX, TD Bank, US Bank and more. Being a patriot and nerd at heart, I take pride in serving aerospace and military-industrial complex companies like Safran, Auriga Space, SpinLaunch, Mach Industries, Zone5 and more. Due to the sheer volume of products that we move across the country, we opened a sister logistics company—World Transporter.
I developed a keen sense to determine which companies are federally funded and have deep pockets, and which companies are privately funded. I’ve liquidated the penthouse-suite offices and built 100,000-plus sq. ft. of warehouse space, which is now filled with rocket parts and items I cannot disclose due to signed ADAs.
For an immigrant kid who patrolled the streets of South-Central Los Angeles as a police officer and now shakes hands with some of the wealthiest people in SoCal, this venture is a dream come true.
Never Doubt Yourself
And about that lost $100,000 deal back in 2024. I got it back! I closed it, and after nearly six months, another big business across the country opened doors to almost 1,000 employees. It was not even about the money, but the lesson I will carry with me for the rest of my life: never doubt yourself, no matter what. It doesn’t matter where you come from because you determine your own worth in the market. Always put clients first. Always serve others. Always lead with integrity, courage under pressure and stand for what you believe.
This great country was built on faith, courage and capitalism. Never let fear or doubt prevent you from achieving your dreams.
I love the USA. Happy 250th birthday!
