On Thursday, April 11, the Women in Real Estate Club (WIRE) ventured to Chicago for a weekend of commercial real estate connections, events, meetings, tours, and more, hosted by the Wisconsin Real Estate Program, a variety of real estate companies, and the Wisconsin Real Estate Alumni Association (WREAA).
Beginning at Harris Point Chicago on Thursday, the day kicked off with a presentation by UW-Madison alumnus Aaron Harris, CEO and the founding member of Harris Point. Aaron shared his wisdom and knowledge from 25+years building his real estate development/management company based in Chicago which is focused on green building design and environmentally sensitive residential renovation projects. Harris Point has been offering outstanding rental housing across the Little Italy, UIC, and Illinois Medical Center neighborhoods in Chicago for over 20 years. This presentation was followed by a social event hosted by WREAA, where students connected with alumni in the industry.
“The most rewarding part of the trip was connecting with all the amazing alumni,” WIRE Trip Director, Emma Wells said. “Those we met never failed to make our group feel welcome, being happy to answer questions and to stay connected.”
On Friday, the WIRE group started at Sterling Bay’s office, learning about the firm’s creative office market. Sterling Bay is a national real estate company that manages a portfolio exceeding $20 billion in diverse assets and focuses on connected and collaborative spaces. In addition, Mari Lehman, Vice President at Sterling Bay, gave the women a tour of 360 N. Green, which is a nearby development the firm has been working on.
Following the 360 tour, the club met up with WREAA members associated with Emerging Concepts for a tour of the Fulton Market. Developed by a UW-Madison alumus, Jeff Shapack, Founder and CEO of Shapack Partners, Fulton Market is a former warehouse district which was redeveloped into a hip corporate and entertainment area which has become one of the most bustling neighborhoods in Chicago.
When asked about the tour, sophomore and WIRE secretary Grace Tuttle said, “Our members got to meet so many UW graduates. It was an amazing opportunity to network and learn from those who once were in our shoes.”
Following the Fulton Market tour, WIRE visited Stream Realty, where they learned about the firm’s business model, with an emphasis on their brokerage branch.
Finally, to round out the trip, the women took a fantastic boat tour of Chicago’s riverfront architecture, learning the history of over 50 skyscrapers in the heart of the city.
“Club trips that venture outside of Madison are integral to forging connections in new cities,” Tuttle said. “Chicago is a UW real estate hub and many young alumni will live there when they graduate. Forming relationships now will assist in the internship and job search process and allow real estate students to create a support system as they launch into a new city.”
WIRE would like to thank the following people who helped make this fun and enriching field trip possible:
- Aaron Harris, CEO, Harris Point
- Mari Lehman, Vice President, Sterling Bay
- Katie Hull, Associate, Stream
- Megan Kazlow, Director, Emerging Concepts
- Jennifer Hull, Capital Markets Associate-Multifamily Investment Sales, JLL
- Megan May, Vice President of Aquisitions, Heitman
Additionally, thanks go out to those who joined the club for presentations, panels, and networking events! Finally, we thank the Graaskamp team: Genie Trewyn, Lee Gottschalk, Tim Carr, and Mark Eppli – they were “tremendous assets in trip planning and execution.”
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