Seeking advice on locations for commercial investment

[David Schoolcraft]

I am a licensed associate broker in Michigan with plenty of experience in residential real estate, am an investor in residential real estate, and with zero experience on the commercial side. My friend attended a recent Ultimate Partnering conference and made connections with potential investors who are looking for investments in tertiary markets, as little as 10-50 doors but preferably 80-300 doors. My friend has asked me if I'd be interested in bird-dogging some potential target areas/investments and this is something I TRULY want to get into. 

Question = where/how to start? How to research potential geographic areas of interest and identify/contact local commercial brokers? What source(s) of data/info would you refer to? How would you get started? 

Thank you for any advice.