PHOENIX—Three teams of graduating students from Arizona State University's W. P. Carey School of Business masters of real estate development program will compete for up to $6,000 in prizes at the third annual REIAC/Rockefeller Group Challenge on May 4 at The Sanctuary in Paradise Valley, AZ. Each team will have 10 minutes to present a development solution for a storied piece of Arizona commercial real estate, followed by questions from the audience. Audience members will vote to choose the winning team, awarding each team member a $1,000 cash prize, up to $6,000.

“This challenge allows the students to showcase their talents for an audience containing some of the most influential commercial real estate development and investment professionals in the Valley,” said Mark Singerman, president of REIAC's Southwest Chapter and vice president, regional director-Arizona for The Rockefeller Group, the event's title sponsor. “Not only is it an incredible opportunity for these students to apply their intellectual knowledge to a real-world scenario, but the chance to network with a room full of industry leaders of this caliber is invaluable. It's been an honor for REIAC and The Rockefeller Group to partner with the W.P. Carey School of Business MRED program on this event for the third year.”

The REIAC/Rockefeller Group Challenge is open to the public. Cost is $35 for non-REIAC members and $25 for students. Registration begins at 4:30 p.m., followed by the program at 5:00 p.m. and a networking mixer at 6:30 p.m. Registration is required.

The Real Estate Investment Advisory Council (REIAC) was established as a nonprofit trade association to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas, concerns and experiences among senior executives who conduct commercial real estate transactions. The invitation-only group limits its membership to senior-level executives at companies who act as principals, and whose function is to develop, acquire, manage and/or finance commercial real estate. Institutional quality programs and peer-to-peer relationship-building opportunities have established REAIC's reputation throughout the national real estate investment community as one of its premier associations

Singerman tells GlobeSt.com: “Practical experience is a powerful teacher, which is one of the many things that makes the REIAC/Rockefeller Group Challenge so valuable for these students. The students get to apply what they've learned in school to a real-world project, in front of an influential audience that includes some of the biggest names in the local real estate development and finance industry. On the flip side, the audience members have an opportunity to tap into a group of talented up-and-comers that represent the next generation of our business. It's a win for everyone.”

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REIAC/Rockefeller Challenge Gives Students a Platform

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