Robinson Team Brings Home Top Prize in Real Estate Challenge
May 2, 2006 (Atlanta, GA) - Five graduate students from the Department of Real Estate at the J. Mack Robinson College of Business were awarded the coveted "Silver Shovel" award and $5,000 in scholarship money in the 13th Annual National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) School Challenge. Each year, the competition attracts teams from each of Georgia's major universities: Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Kennesaw State University, the University of Georgia and Georgia State University.
This year, teams were asked to identify and develop a real estate investment opportunity near the proposed Beltline railway. Robinson students Amy Curry, Gina Corey, Michael Sauer, Vivek Sah, and Reginald Mackey impressed the judges with a proposal for a mixed-use property located on the west side of Midtown. The project, "Waterworks Lofts," consisted of two high-rise buildings offering residential and commercial spaces overlooking a lake. The property included easy access to entertainment venues and major highways, a view of the Atlanta skyline and competitively priced units.
"The NAIOP School Challenge is a wonderful opportunity for our students to hone their skills before an important industry audience. The systematic approach they applied to their development decision was truly impressive and we are very proud of their performance," said Julian Diaz, professor and chair of Robinson's real estate department.
Each team is assigned a professional coach and a list of contacts to use as consultants. They had approximately two months to complete the project and were responsible for identifying land, completing a market analysis, designing the buildings, and calculating a financial analysis for their development. Teams were then judged by a panel of real estate professionals and were evaluated according to their project's viability and coordination with the beltline objectives.
According to NAIOP, the Georgia School Challenge provides a valuable opportunity for students and faculty to apply classroom theory to real world situations. One of the most valuable aspects is exposure students get to top decision makers in the real estate industry, both in preparing the written proposal and in the final oral presentation on the day of the event.
The J. Mack Robinson College of Business is one of the top-ranked business schools. The College's Flex (part-time) MBA program has been listed in the top ten by U.S. News for the past eleven years and its undergraduate business program is ranked among the top 50 in the nation. In addition, the College's Executive MBA is listed on The Financial Times list of the world's top ranked programs. Georgia State University's Robinson College of Business has an enrollment for more than 7000 students and is located in downtown Atlanta. www.robinson.gsu.edu.
For more information, contact:
Tammy Demel
Office of External Affairs
Robinson College of Business
404/413-7078
404/702-9743 (cell)
