L to R: Aditya Singh, Raegan Brown, and Zeke Galloway present their project, The Shepherd Hotel at the University of Maryland on December 10, 2022.
For the second year in a row, MRED Program students received second-place in the University of Maryland Colvin Case Study Challenge. Current MRED students Raegan Brown, Zeke Galloway and Aditya Singh comprised the Fall 2022 student team.
In it’s seventh year, the University of Maryland Colvin Case Study Challenge is a national intercollegiate real estate case study competition for full or part-time students enrolled in a college or university real estate program. The purpose of the Challenge is to “document a recent innovative real estate project within the team’s metropolitan region.”
MRED students chose The Shepherd Hotel located in Clemson, SC at the Fall 2022 project. Opening in late 2022, the Shepherd Hotel is a boutique, six-story, 67-room hotel located in the heart of downtown Clemson. In partnership with the ClemsonLIFE program, the hotel trains and employs individuals with intellectual disabilities. Project submissions had to meet parameters of a local project of 25 acres or less with a TDC of $25-$250 Million, completed by 2017 or later.
As one of four team finalists, the Fall 2022 team presented their proposal to a jury at the University of Maryland in College Park on Saturday, December 10, 2022, taking home second-place.
The goal of the competition is to “hone professional skills and reveal the knowledge base and understanding of markets, project valuation, finance, urban design, sustainability, entitlement processes and operational issues.”
MRED Program Director and professor, Dr. Dustin Read, served as the Fall 2022 academic advisor. A $2,500 prize accompanies the second place finish.
The Master of Real Estate Development Program, in conjunction with the Master of City and Regional Planning Program, is pleased to announce that current dual degree student, Corban Williams, is a Spring 2022 recipient of the annual NAIOP Diversity Student Scholarship. NAIOP is the Commercial Real Estate Development Association.
NAIOP Diversity Scholarship
The NAIOP scholarship program supports students who are pursuing a degree in commercial real estate and is a key component of the association’s pledge to advance diversity in commercial real estate.
Corban Williams is pursuing simultaneous graduate degrees in Real Estate Development and City and Regional Planning and is a NAIOP Member at Large. He earned his B.S. in Construction Science and Management from Clemson University in 2020. Prior to returning to Clemson for graduate school, he worked as a project engineer with Turner Construction in Spartanburg, SC on the Spartanburg County Judicial Complex Project assisting with construction processes. Williams is certified as a LEED Green Associate.
His interests include affordable housing and policy, agricultural development, global economic development, historic preservation, and resiliency. He is also a 2020 James L. Allhands Research Essay Competition winner and published author on ways to increase diversity and inclusion within the BD+C industry.
Corban will receive a $5,000 scholarship and an opportunity to attend the CRE.Converge 2022 conference in Chicago, IL in October.
MRED students Reed Bennett, Kyle Duffy and Kim Faist were recently awarded second-place in the Fall 2021 Colvin Case Study Challenge. A $2,500 prize accompanies the honor.
The Colvin Case Study Challenge is sponsored by the University of Maryland and is a national intercollegiate real estate case study competition for full or part-time students enrolled in a college or university real estate program. The purpose of the Challenge is to “document a recent innovative real estate project within the team’s metropolitan region.”
L to R: Reed Bennett, Dr. Robert Benedict, and Kyle Duffy at the University of Maryland at the conclusion of the Colvin Case presentation on the evening of December 11, 2021.
Round 1 included a team submission about a local project of 25 acres or less with a TDC of $25-$250 Million, among other criteria. The Clemson MRED team case study submitted was about Camperdown, in Greenville, SC. Located Greenville’s Main Street, the recently completed Camperdown Development is transformational to Greenville, overlooking Greenville’s Falls Park and adjacent to the Peace Center.
The students were then invited as part of Round 2 to the University of Maryland to as one of four finalist teams. The team presented the Camperdown Development proposal in front of a jury at the University of Maryland in College Park on Saturday, December 11, 2021, taking home second-place.
The goal of the competition is to “hone professional skills and reveal the knowledge base and understanding of markets, project valuation, finance, urban design, sustainability, entitlement processes and operational issues.”
MRED Program professor, Dr. Robert Benedict, served as the Fall 2021 academic advisor and MRED Program lecturer, Dan Ford, of Beau Welling Design in Greenville, SC served as the team’s professional advisor.
Seth Peterson, MRED ’14, selected as an Upstate South Carolina “Forty Under 40” professional. Photo: GroundBreak Carolinas.
We congratulate Clemson University Master of Real Estate Development alumni, Seth Peterson ’14, on being honored by the GSA Business Report’s 2021 “Forty Under 40” program of Upstate South Carolina professional. Seth is the Director of Development for Graycliff Capital Partners, LLC in Greenville, SC.
New MRED Program Director, Dr. Dustin Read, speaks to 1st year MRED students.
It is an exciting start to the 2021-2022 academic year with a return to in-person classes and the matriculation of 22 outstanding new students. Most importantly, we have welcomed an extraordinarily well-qualified new director, Dustin Read.
Dr. Read possesses an impressive background in research, teaching and administrative leadership. He is nationally recognized as a scholar and is well-known for his exceptional teaching skills. In addition to being named director, he has been promoted to full professor.
Before becoming the Clemson, he held positions as an associate professor, chair of the Department of Apparel, Housing, and Resource Management, William and Mary Alice Park Fellow and associate director of the undergraduate real estate program at Virginia Tech. Dr. Read also served as the director of UNC Charlotte’s M.S. in Real Estate program. His Ph.D. in Public Policy is from UNC Charlotte and his law degree is from the University of Missouri. Additionally, he earned an M.A. in Real Estate from the University of Florida.
Prior to academia, Dr. Read’s professional experience included retail investment sales with Hulston Investment Corporation and vice president with Cushman and Wakefield. He is a NAIOP Fellow and the American Real Estate Society’s Practitioner Research and Best Paper Awards recipient over numerous years.
I look forward to supporting Dr. Read and his new initiatives for the program as I continue with MRED as a faculty member. Looking back, I am grateful and humbled for the opportunity to lead and be a part of an exceptional program. My tenure as director was built upon a foundation created before me and Dr. Read will carry on and elevate the stature of the Program. As we resume some in-person events, Dr. Read will be visiting our Advancement Board Directors, MRED alumni and many supporters across the Carolinas and Georgia.
I was blessed to stay on and teach under founding director Terry Farris after receiving my Ph.D. in 2009. Terry created the foundation for what became my dream job. In addition to working with him, I developed lasting friendships with others who were instrumental in the success of MRED. Amy Matthews Herrick has been amazing and deserves so much of the credit for creating the unique chemistry within the program. My dissertation advisor and former interim program director, Barry Nocks, is a valued mentor and an inspiration to me. Likewise, department chair, John Gaber, has become a close friend and a highly respected leader over the past four years as we navigated difficult circumstances. Our full-time and adjunct faculty members are outstanding, with a good balance of academic and professional experience. I also owe a huge measure of gratitude to our Advancement Board for Real Estate Development. Their leadership and generosity is unsurpassed. Chairs Emeriti Doug Gray, Chris Pearce, Dan Pattillo, John Whitaker, Russ Davis, Dave Chandler and current chair Emily Bridges were always willing to provide keen insight and support. The ABRED Directors and their willingness to help our students with fellowships, networking, and serving as adjunct professors and tour hosts have made the students’ time in the MRED Program a remarkable experience.
I was appointed director of the program in 2011 when we were still based on the main campus in Lee Hall, prior to its renovation and expansion. The practicums were taught off-campus in unique locations, including a former pet store and converted trailer. We have come a long way. I had two major goals when I became director: relocate the program to downtown Greenville and reduce the time-to-degree. We were a two-year, full-time program on campus but with the help of Dr. Farris and associate director of student services Amy Matthews Herrick, both goals were achieved. Today, we are housed in the beautiful ONE mixed-use complex on Main Street and our time-to-degree has been reduced to 18 or 12 months depending upon the experience level of the incoming student. Both changes have enabled the program to expand and attract students who would not have considered our program before. We are now more geographically diverse, and the experience level of our incoming students has increased. Our students are highly marketable and many of our alumni are enjoying successful careers in the real estate profession. Although there are challenges ahead with increased competition, the program is having its best days. It is a good time to relinquish the directorship with an exciting future before us. Every successful graduate program should have a change in leadership to bring in a fresh sense of energy and new initiatives. I am pleased this transition has taken place with Dustin Read and I look forward to following our 260 alumni who are always welcome to drop by and lend me a hand on our 170-year-old house. Remember, it is an easy walk from the ONE building
Go Tigers!
Robert C. Benedict, Ph.D.
Professor of Practice
Master of Real Estate Development Program
Clemson University
Current 18-month MRED student, Jasmine Murphy is a December 2021 graduation candidate.
The Master of Real Estate Development Program is excited to announce that current student, Jasmine Murphy, is a Spring 2021 recipient of the NAIOP Diversity Scholarship. NAIOP is the Commercial Real Estate Development Association.
NAIOP Diversity Scholarship
The NAIOP scholarship program supports students who are pursuing a degree in commercial real estate and is a key component of the association’s pledge to advance diversity in commercial real estate.
Jasmine Murphy, Assoc. AIA, is a graduate student in the Master of Real Estate Development program at Clemson University and a NAIOP Member at Large. Prior to joining Clemson for her master’s degree, she worked as an architectural designer for Stevens & Wilkinson, Inc. in Columbia, SC. In this role, she developed architectural schematic designs for clients; created construction documents, detailed drawings, and modeled furniture, mechanical, and architectural elements in Revit; built both digital and physical 3D models; submitted and preparing documents for building permits; and collaborated with a team of licensed architects, interior designers and engineers to complete projects before deadlines. Jasmine is currently a development intern for Orange Capital Advisors, in Greenville, SC.
Jasmine will receive a $5,000 scholarship and an opportunity to attend the CRE.Converge 2021 conference in Miami Beach, FL in September.
Neil Robinette, MRED ’12, selected as North Carolina Business 2020 Trailblazer.
Clemson University Master of Real Estate Development alumni, Neil Robinette ’12, was named as one of North Carolina’s 2020 Trailblazers by Business North Carolina (October 2020). Neil is the current CEO of C.F. Smith Property Group in Rockingham, NC.
18-month Master of Real Estate Development Program students Rachel Bradshaw, Jalecia Coley, Brendan Swinehart, and Joseph Toledo comprised the MRED graduate student team for the Spring 2020 CASE Competition hosted by the Columbia Business School. Out of twenty-seven teams that submitted entries, the Clemson team was selected as one of the twelve semi-finalists and were invited to compete in New York in late March 2020. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CASE competition was cancelled and the team did not travel to New York to present.
About the CASE: The CASE is an international real estate development competition that provides graduate student teams the opportunity to showcase their real estate knowledge, creativity, and problem solving abilities by analyzing and programming a complex real world site. The CASE is organized and hosted by The CASE Collaborative. The CASE is not an invitation-only competition; it is open to any graduate student team in the world.
We are proud that the MRED student team was chosen as one of this year’s semi-finalists among teams from other prestigious universities:
Brandeis University Clemson University Columbia University
Cornell University
Georgetown University
Insituto de Empresa (Spain)
London Business School
MIT
NYU
York University
Unlike other competitions, The CASE focuses on real estate acquisition, development programming, and investment underwriting at the asset level. The competition mimics the circumstances and challenges that students of real estate finance, construction, planning, and design will encounter in the development industry after graduation.
MRED student Brendan Swinehart, received the SIOR Foundation Student Real Estate Experience Program scholarship in late January. The scholarship was given by the Carolinas Chapter of SIOR and the SIOR Foundation.
He was chosen out of six applicants (three from Clemson, three from UNC-Charlotte) to attend the SIOR International European Conference in Dublin, Ireland, July 15-17, 2020. As part of this scholarship, Brendan will be provided up to $4,000 of funding to cover conference attendance expenses for Dublin.
Swinehart is a May 2019 Clemson graduate with a double major in architecture and Chinese. He is interested in using his background in Chinese to assist Chinese and other international businesses invest in property in the United States for development. As an undergraduate student at Clemson, Brendan traveled to Asia and Europe and he is looking forward to traveling abroad again to explore Ireland while learning about his family’s heritage.
SIOR (Society of Industrial and Office Realtors) was founded in 1941 to assist in securing manufacturing facilities across the nation to put into service to support production needs for World War II. Scholarship eligibility requirements included 1) current undergraduate (junior or senior) or graduate student; 2) majoring in real estate, finance, business or economics with a career interest in commercial real estate; 3) 21 years of age at the conference start; and 4) possess a valid passport for the conference dates.
The program is proud to announce that Gabriel Lazcano, MRED December 2019 candidate, received a number of prominent industry scholarships in 2019. Lazcano received the following professional real estate industry scholarships:
Society of Real Estate Professionals Scholarship
Lazcano was one of eleven students selected for this scholarship. The annual scholarship is offered to eligible full-time undergraduate or graduate level students who are pursuing a career in real estate with the intent to relocate to Tampa Bay, FL after graduation.
NAIOP Diversity Scholarship
The NAIOP scholarship program supports students who are pursuing a degree in commercial real estate and is a key component of the association’s pledge to advance diversity in commercial real estate.
Pension Real Estate Association (PREA) Scholarship
The Pension Real Estate Association awards scholarships on an annual basis to promising students studying real estate at the undergraduate and graduate levels. These scholarships are awarded through PREA’s own scholarship program and financial need is considered in determining the amount of each award.
