PHOENIX, Ariz. (Nov. 12, 2020) – A record 24 protégés were honored as the Arizona Chapter of NAIOP’s Developing Leaders Young Professionals Group (YPG) mentorship program hosted graduation for the 2019-2020 class.
Mentors and protégés gathered November 4 at The Gladly for a socially-distanced reception, presentations and dinner. The 24 protégés, grouped into five teams, each pitched a development proposal to a potential equity partner.
As part of their equity partner’s review of the development proposals, judges were looking for the project that meets the highest and best use of the site as well as provides the most optimal economic returns (projected investment returns).
This year’s site was the NWC North 56th Street & West Galveston Street in Chandler. Teams had the option of developing the entire site or a portion of it. Team 3’s Eagle Landing concept took home top honors. Team members included Michael Roberts, JDM Partners; John Coughlin, Prologis; Diego Almaral, Strategic Office Partners; Alex Anstey, Willmeng Construction; and Drew Sampson, Avison Young. Cathy Thuringer of Trammell Crow Company was mentor of the winning team.
“The YPG teams this year were faced with the challenge of working on their projects primarily through Zoom calls, but each team rose to the occasion and delivered very thoughtful development ideas for the site,” said Thuringer. “I am always impressed with the level of creativity and enthusiasm the protégés bring to this program and am honored to have once again served as a mentor for this great program.”
Additional mentors for this year’s class were Phil Breidenbach, Colliers; John Orsak, Lincoln Property Company; and Jeff Foster, Prologis. Judges were Phil Haenel, Cushman & Wakefield; and Cullen Mahoney, Trammell Crow Company.
Program chairs were Mollie Zemer, Barclay Group; and Josh Tracy, Ryan Companies US.
“The YPG program gives Developing Leaders from all sides of the industry a unique opportunity to learn about how a development comes together while collaborating and networking with their peers,” Zemer said.
The rest of the protégés include:
Team 1: Brice Pall, Enterprise Bank & Trust; Jim Bulsiewicz, Hines; Ashley Dykstra, Kinney Construction; Jackson Paquette, SRP; David Stull, CBRE, Inc.; and Jonathan Loe, Sherman & Howard.
Team 2: Ryan Kates, Berger Holdings; Joey Hakola, RED Development; Ian Kennedy, The Remson Group; Stephanie Lanman, Leading Edge Real Estate; and Franklin Lee, Arizona State University.
Team 4: Christopher Campbell, BNC National Bank; Ashley Nye, Trammell Crow Company; Taylor McDonald, Whiting-Turner; Aaron Fox, Cushman & Wakefield; and Austin Knebel, LevRose Commercial Real Estate.
Team 5: John Schott, Everest Holdings; Adam Olson, CEVA Logistics; and Mike McWilliams Jr., Plaza Companies.
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About NAIOP
NAIOP, a 20,000+ member organization in North America provides unparalleled industry networking and education, and advocates for effective legislation on behalf of its members. It is the leading association for developers, owners and related professionals in office, industrial, retail and mixed-use real estate.