Leadership Workshop Series Designed for JSOM Real Estate Students
Leadership Workshop Series Designed for JSOM Real Estate Students
Participants Gain Insights From Industry Luminary
By Jimmie R. Markham
TWENTY STUDENTS FROM THE REAL ESTATE CLUB at The University of Texas at Dallas participated in a leadership workshop to help them gain insights about the industry from a North Texas real estate luminary.
The Herbert D. Weitzman Institute for Real Estate and The Real Estate Club at UTD, both based in the Jindal School, co-presented the Born to Build Leadership Roundtable, a series of virtual events designed to provide selected club members a chance to engage with and learn from Dallas commercial real estate icon Herb Weitzman.
Each week, students broke down one or two chapters of Born to Build, a book about Weitzman’s career. Once a month, they met with Weitzman to discuss the readings, the current real estate market, their job searches and general questions. By the end of the program, they had had the opportunity to get to know Weitzman and gain professional insights directly from someone who has more than six decades of industry experience.
‘HIS FAVORITE INVESTMENT’
Arden Pray, a senior business administration major with a concentration in real estate investment management, and president of the real estate club, helped design the series and said it was intended to give students career advice.
“Herb has told me a couple of times that his favorite investment is in young people,” she said. “I think that’s why he’s so directly involved with UTD. … He has been an awesome connection to have for the real estate club and the program in general.”
Alejandro Jimenez, a finance junior and a vice president of the real estate club, said he looked forward to hearing from someone who has a “ton of expertise” and advice to give students about both the real estate industry and life in general. “He just spits out gold,” Jimenez said. “Students heed what he says.”
Networking Opportunities and Other Perks
In addition to learning from Weitzman, students had a chance to win prizes based on attendance and participation in discussions. Prizes included lunch and a tour of Weitzman headquarters led by Weitzman and his staff members.
Amlan Mohapatra, a finance major and a club vice president, said he looked forward to the networking opportunities the workshop facilitated.
“Ever since I started coming to UTD and going to organizations like the real estate club, one of the things [stressed] the most is networking,” he said. “We can get Weitzman and his employees to recognize us and also build our networks with members of the real estate club and other professionals.”
For Dr. Randall S. Guttery, a clinical professor in the Jindal School’s Finance and Managerial Economics Area and director of both the Real Estate Concentrations and the Weitzman Institute, this workshop held special meaning. His decades-long friendship with Weitzman helped influence Weitzman and his wife, Donna, to make a $3 million donation to UT Dallas that established the Weitzman Institute for Real Estate.
“I am beyond thrilled about Herb’s level of participation in the institute’s events and programs,” Guttery said. “Because of his vast knowledge, experience, connections and iconic status in the North Texas commercial real estate community, our students benefit tremendously from his mentorship. It helps them better prepare for careers in the industry.”