What a difference a year makes. When I decided to go back to school, I wasn’t exactly sure where I would go; all I knew was that wherever it was, it would involve Real Estate. Sometimes it takes a little bit of faith, and you end up in the right place. The Baker Program is that place for me because of both the focus on Real Estate and the multitude of career opportunities available to students. Throughout the first year, we had opportunities to learn from and interact with many industry professionals. Although active networking was sometimes difficult with the workload, the opportunities to interact with distinguished speakers and alumni were valuable in many ways. For instance, it was through a conversation with a distinguished speaker that I learned about an opportunity at Cornerstone Development Group in Miami. Ten weeks later, I was packing my car and ready to head south.
Harrison Willis
While I had not previously heard of Cornerstone, after a little research it was clear that a summer internship at their firm would be a great opportunity. I was focused on learning the different aspects of development, and The Cornerstone Group is one of the most respected multifamily housing developers in the State of Florida. They were named the multifamily housing council’s Builder of the Year in 2003, and while their primary asset class is affordable housing, they also develop and build workforce, market-rate, and mixed-use projects. After researching the company and speaking with Mara Mades, the partner who I would be working under, it was apparent that this would be an opportunity where I would get to see many different aspects of the business.
With nearly eight weeks under my belt, I can say I have gotten to do just that. From the very beginning, the partners have included me in nearly every facet of the trade. My first week started off as a blur, diving right in on the first day with the bi-weekly development meeting. These meetings are exciting because all of the partners, department heads, and project managers get together in one room to discuss the current projects. It was then, on my first day, that I realized just how valuable the first year curriculum at Baker had been. I was able to grasp the majority of the concepts and issues throughout the meeting, though there was still a lot of room to improve. At the conclusion of the meeting my notebook was filled with notes, insights and impressions that can only come from skilled developers with abundant experience.
Over the next few weeks, I would have multiple opportunities to expand on that experience by participating in different facets of the business. These opportunities have included: the review of potential land and property acquisitions, analyzing the buyout of a limited partner’s interest in a deal, reviewing plans for a high-rise mixed use development, meeting with government officials, calling brokers, working on proposals, and walking development sites with project managers, bank representatives, and our construction management team. Each experience has taught me a different aspect of the business, and has shown me how development is about consistently managing the small issues in order to ensure they do not turn into bigger ones.
This experience has shown me just how important a summer internship truly is, and why that aspect of the Baker Program in Real Estate sets it apart from many of its peers. It has been an incredible opportunity not only to learn from experienced Real Estate Professionals, but be directly involved in the day-to-day development process. I can see that this experience will allow myself and my fellow classmates to build on the first year curriculum and share a diverse set of real world experiences as we head into our second year.
