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Students' News December 2007
The MBA Real Estate Club's Finance Panel on November 15 welcomed leaders in the real estate finance world speaking about their experiences and the current trends in the market: John Klopp CEO of Capital Trust, Inc. ;Jackie Hamilton, senior vice president of Lehman Brothers and a principal of Lehman Brothers Real Estate Mezzanine Partners, L.P., a $1.1 billion mezzanine debt fund raised in August 2005; Devin Aronstam, vice president of Lubert-Adler, focusing on new acquisitions and asset management; and David Congdon of Hines, responsible for the overall management of the Hines Value Added Funds, two discretionary investment entities that purchase office properties in need of renovation, leasing and operational enhancement. The Club hosted the Wachovia Real Estate Case Study on November 13 with members of Wachovia's Real Estate team discussing the $6.3 billion Tishman Speyer/Blackrock purchase of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village and Wachovia's role in providing buyside advisory and acquisition financing for the deal—the largest single financing transaction in the history of U.S. real estate. The Club also welcomed Jeff Schwartz, CEO of ProLogis, speaking on Globalization in Real Estate on November 13. ProLogis is the world's largest owner, manager, and developer of distribution facilities, with 483 million square feet of space in 105 markets in North America, Asia and Europe. The panel for the Wharton Entrepreneurship Conference on November 16 was moderated by Professor Grace Wong, with panel members David Rubenstein of Rubenstein Partners; Tom Shapiro of GoldenTree Asset Management; Walker Robinson of Grasso Holdings; David Berger of 5th Square; and Omowale Crenshaw of Enterprise Heights Real Estate Development Company. The School of Design's Real Estate Club had a full calendar, with:
November 2006 This semester has been a busy and successful one for our real estate students. The four real estate clubs have a full roster, and students have been very successful in national competition. Here, a few highlights of the year so far:  The Wharton Real Estate Team, from left: Jed Brawley, Laura Campbell, Joshua Morris, Ian Cohen, Christopher Bennett, Joseph Spector The Wharton Real Estate Team came in first place (earning a $5,000 prize) in the National Real Estate Challenge Case Competition held at the University of Texas-Austin. Team members were Jed Brawley, Joe Spector, Ian Cohen, Laura Campbell, Chris Bennett, and Josh Morris. With more than 16 leading business schools battling it out, the Wharton team was victorious, representing the strength of Wharton's real estate program in front of major real estate market players and other business schools. USC came in second; Berkeley third; and Columbia fourth. The Challenge is a case-based real estate competition that is meant to give graduate students a taste of the challenges that face real estate professionals after graduation. This year's case was from Goldman Sachs & Co. and involved the evaluation of an office investment opportunity on behalf of a global real estate opportunity fund. The investment featured future development possibilities in addition to existing, income-producing assets. Students addressed issues concerning the investment process, post-investment operations, and exit strategies. Wharton undergraduate student Olivia John won a $6,000 scholarship from the Philadelphia Regional Chapter of the Society of Industrial Office Realtors (SIOR). On October 4, the Wharton Real Estate MBA Club and the Zell/Lurie real Estate Center hosted a Career Development Panel. Panelists were Joan Hook, senior vice-president of shopping center development at Trammell Crow; John Dewey, chairman and CEO of The Dewey Companies; Carl Dranoff, chairman and founder of Dranoff Properties; and John Gattuso, senior vice president and director, National and Urban Development at Liberty Property Trust. The moderator was Center associate director Asuka Nakahara. The event attracted more than 60 students; conversation touched on topics such as initial and long-term employment issues, professional preparation, and entrepreneurial efforts in development. The Wharton MBA Real Estate Club and Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center hosted a Career Finance Panel on November 8. Asuka Nakahara again served as moderator. Panelists included Randi Kahn of Somerset Financial Group; Keith Locker of Inlet Capital; Mike Brown of O'Neill Properties; and Ben Schall of Vornado Realty Trust. Real estate student at the School of Design, Andrea Wong, has been awarded an Urban Land Institute Kenneth M. Good Graduate Student Fellowship. Eight $5,000 scholarships are given annually to graduate students who are studying real estate, real estate development, or related subjects at a major North American university. Applicants are nominated by their university departments. We extend our congratulations to Andrea. The School of Design Real Estate Club welcomed nearly 50 guests to an Alumni Career Panel on October 26, to hear three distinguished alumni: Micki Stolker of Prudential Fox & Roach Realtors (MCP); Michael Saltzman of Newwork (MCP, M.Arch); and Robert Henderson of the Keating Group (M.Arch, MCP). The speakers traced their rich career paths and reflected on how their PennDesign educations contributed to their success.
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