The Commercial Real Estate Finance (CREF) program at the College of Charleston School of Business is raking in more career-boosting advantages for its ready-to-work students. Recently, the Certified Commercial Investment Member Institute (CCIM) named CofC’s School of Business a university alliance partner for its undergraduate real estate program.
The Carter Real Estate Center at the College of Charleston School of Business is infusing experiential learning into its Real Estate Market Analysis course this semester through a collaboration with local real estate firm Carolina Retail Centers and the Charleston office of national commercial brokers, Marcus & Millichap.
Recently, Elaine Worzala, Ph.D. was interviewed by Point2 Homes on what growing cities like Toronto should do in order to counter urban density challenges. Is vertical sprawl, horizontal sprawl or missing middle housing the answer? Worzala lends her viewpoint:
For me, it has to be the middle road. People want to live in communities that are comfortable to be in, walkable, safe and enjoyable — where all the services for daily life are relatively close at hand, such as schools, day- or elderly care, grocery shopping, churches, entertainment and recreational areas. Density is not a bad word and it is important as continuous sprawl is clearly unhealthy for all.
For Worzala’s full response and the article in its entirety, read the Point2 Homes article here.
Worzala is a professor of Finance and the director of the Carter Real Estate Center at the College of Charleston School of Business. She earned her undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. An active member of several academic and professional organizations, Worzala has completed projects for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, International Council of Shopping Centers, Pension Real Estate Association and National Association of Realtors.
Wyman and Mothorpe
Chris Mothorpe, professor of economics at the College of Charleston School of Business recently spoke with The Wall Street Journal about research he and David Wyman, professor of entrepreneurship, published in the Journal of Real Estate Research. In the study, Wyman and Mothorpe found that empty lots located next to power lines sell for 45 percent less than equivalent non-adjacent lots. Read the full story.
Wyman has been with the School of Business since 2013 and also serves as director of the Center for Entrepreneurship. His research interests include real estate and entrepreneurship. Wyman’s work has been published in top peer-reviewed journals including International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, The Appraisal Journal and the Journal of Property Investment and Finance.
Mothorpe has been teaching at the School of Business since 2014. His research interests include urban, regional and environmental economics as well as applied microeconomics. His past research has been published in Real Estate Economics, Regional Science and Urban Economics and The Annals of Regional Science. Mothorpe currently teaches urban economics and microeconomics at the business school.
The College of Charleston School of Business recently hosted a fireside chat with local businessman Tommy Baker and retired vice president and general manager of Boeing South Carolina Jack Jones during the Fifth-Annual Tommy Baker Entrepreneurship Hour.
At this year’s event, hosted by the business school’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Carter Real Estate Center, Baker interviewed Jones in a sit-down that highlighted his professional journey, as well as his time at the Boeing South Carolina site.
The Tommy Baker Entrepreneurship Hour is named after the well-known Charleston philanthropist, owner and president of Baker Motor Company. The annual event seeks to connect budding and seasoned entrepreneurs alike on hot topics in the industry. A prominent figure at the School of Business, Baker taught a senior-level entrepreneurship class at the College for 22 years before retiring from instructing in 2013. He currently serves on the School’s Board of Governors where he’s been a member for more than 20 years.
“Here at the School of Business, our close ties to the business community allow us to host some of the most distinguished business leaders, such as Jack Jones,” says Alan T. Shao, dean of the School of Business. “During the span of his career, Jack has established himself as an outstanding global business leader, one that our students can look to as a source of inspiration.”
A retired VP and general manager of Boeing South Carolina, Jones oversaw Boeing’s operations and facilities in North Charleston before retiring in 2015.
Prior to joining the Boeing South Carolina team in March 2011, Jones served as vice president of its Everett Delivery Center, overseeing Airplane-on-Ground, Paint, Pre-Flight and Delivery operations for the Boeing wide-body models (747, 767, 777 and 787) assembled in Everett, Wash.
left to right: Tommy Baker; Chad Ross ’18; Jack Jones; and David Wyman, Ph.D.
Jones’ history with Boeing spanned many years. The ops expert began his career with the company as an industrial engineer in 1980 on the 757 Program. He spent time working on several commercial and military programs, including B-2 Stealth Bomber and Air Force One prior to his assignment in Everett.
The Entrepreneurship Hour also included its annual one-minute elevator pitch competition, featuring the finalists for the 2018 Student Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Biology major and entrepreneurship minor Chad Ross ’18 won the $1,000 prize for his business pitch on Chuck Waters Apparel—a clothing line dedicated to providing simple and comfortable clothing while donating proceeds to vulnerable communities everywhere.
The School of Business Carter Real Estate Center has selected a prestigious team of students to take on the Real Confidence University Challenge (RCUC), a national competition where participants are given $1 billion in “play money” to invest in commercial real estate properties. The students who gain the largest return on their investments win the top prize of $50,000.
RCUC team captain, Scott Nord ’18.
Senior Business Administration major Scott Nord has stepped up to the plate to lead the College of Charleston team to victory. As a student athlete on the sailing team, Nord is confident is his leadership abilities.
The RCUC leader is currently taking a class on Real Estate Valuation Analysis with assistant professor Kenneth Soyeh, Ph.D., who also happens to be the faculty advisor for the investment competition. Nord says he’s looking forward to working with Soyeh because of his valuation analysis background as well as his understanding of Real Estate Investment Trusts.
Faculty advisor, Ken Soyeh, Ph.D.
Soyeh says he hopes the competition will give students a glimpse of what it’s like to apply lessons from the classroom in the real world, and believes their best chance at winning stems from how serious the students take the challenge.
“I want the team to treat the $1 billion dollar investment fund like actual money,” he says. “And I urge them to approach their investment strategy as the challenge calls for — with confidence.”
The team representing the College of Charleston will compete against individuals — a majority whom are graduate students — from 38 other schools. Nord, Soyeh and the rest of the CofC crew hope to leave with the $50,000 prize, which would be awarded to the university, and memories to last a lifetime.