Lehigh Panel Surveys Future of Commercial Real Estate Industry
In late March, around 100 Lehigh College of Business and Economics students convened for a speaker series hosted by several esteemed Lehigh alumni, bringing together senior real estate executives and their children to unpack new developments in the commercial real estate industry.
Sponsored by MHP Real Estate Services and the Stacom Family Executive Speaker Series, which Tara Stacom ’80, executive vice chairman, Cushman & Wakefield, established in 2009 to connect ire@l students and alumni with notable figures in the field, Commercial Real Estate: The Rise of a New Generation hosted more than 300 attendees in Lower Manhattan. The 13-member intergenerational panel was co-hosted by Brad Eric Scheler ’74 ’05P ’08P ’09PG and Jonathan Mechanic ’12P, partners, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson.
Stacom, whose credits include the One World Trade Center commercial space, explains, “The dynamics of commercial real estate have changed dramatically from one generation to the next. By bringing together multiple generations within the same real estate families, we’ll gain insights into where the industry is heading.”
Current student Max Weiss ’17, who is double majoring in finance and accounting with a real estate minor, spoke of how literally getting his hands dirty as an intern at Manatus Development Group impacted his decision to pursue a career in real estate:
“I got to see my boss take a dirt lot in the Bronx near Yankee stadium and convert that into a nice charter school for the kids in South Bronx. It kind of opened my eyes to what power real estate developers have. They can influence a neighborhood and can really shift how a community works.”
About the Author
Jonathan Pfeffer
Jonathan Pfeffer joined the Clear Admit and MetroMBA teams in 2015 after spending several years as an arts/culture writer, editor, and radio producer. In addition to his role as contributing writer at MetroMBA and contributing editor at Clear Admit, he is co-founder and lead producer of the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast. He holds a BA in Film/Video, Ethnomusicology, and Media Studies from Oberlin College.
