Connect, reconnect, and say thank you, was advice from the Careers in Real Estate Panelists

Four UVM and Grossman School of Business alumni and friends shared their professional experience and advice with current students looking to enter the world of real estate at the Careers in Real Estate panel.

L-R: Afi Ahmadi, Esq. 93, Stephanie Miller Taylor, Deborah McAneny ’81, Biria St. John ’92, and James Aug ’87 (Photo: Rachel Narkewicz)

The panel represented a wide range of the real estate industry, fromcommercial business and retail development, to affordable housing and land transactions. The breadth of experiences the professionals brought gave current students a varied perspective on the many paths a career in real estate could take.

Moderated by President of the Alumni Association Board and Grossman School of Business Lecturer, Afi Ahmadi. Esq. 93, the professionals provided insights into how their career in real estate started; what skills they are looking for in a new hire; their advice to students and soon-to-be-grads; which soft skills to work on and more.

Over 100 students attended the September 29th panel featuring:
James Aug – ’87, Principal, Sabre Real Estate Group
Biria St. John – ’92, Vice Chairman, CBRE
Deborah McAneny – ‘8, Director, JLL
Stephanie Miller Taylor, Principal, REM Development

The real estate market is booming, and panelists shared opportunities in the industry with students. Deb highlighted the demand for young professionals to enter the field, saying, You are coming into one of the hottest labor markets Ive seen in a long timeyou could enter a career in real estate as an analyst, a researcher, broker, work in appraisals, financial management, cybersecurity. Anything. There is something for everyone!

Chloe Green, a current first-year student at the Grossman School of Business, expressed an early interest in learning more about a career in real estate. Her enthusiastic engagement made the panel a semester highlight.

I am fascinated by the real estate industry and know I want to focus my education in Grossman to learn more about it. Chloe walked away with new insight about the Boston real estate market from panelist Biria St. John, who described how the rental market is returning fully to pre-pandemic levels and demand is increasing immensely. Im particularly interested in the Boston real estate market, so this makes me excited for the opportunities ahead, Chloe said.

Chloe got to spend a little extra time with the panelists during a networking lunch and says, Thanks to the panelist, I learned so much about the different opportunities that extend beyond buying and selling real estate.

Marguerite Jouet, a Sophomore in the Grossman School of Business, asked the panelists, How can you be memorable, and how do you meet peoplehow do you build your network?

Interpersonal skills are extremely important, answered Stephanie Miller Taylor. Its not what you know, its who you know thats going to help you.

Moderator Afi Ahmadi took that moment to remind students about the free campus resource, UVMConnect. An exclusive online community of UVM alums, students, staff and faculty, UVMConnect is the best way to tap into an engaged, supportive and growing global network.

The final question for the alumni was a common one, though loaded in these uncertain times: what would be your advice for an upcoming graduate?

In short, the alumni all agreed: find your passion, be diligent, make your own luck by networking and be comfortable being uncomfortable. If you are passionate about what you are doing the rest will followhowever, you do have to start somewhere.

Thank you Afi, James, Biria, Deb and Stephanie! The UVM and Grossman community thanks you for your knowledge, stories and advice.

Help Students Dress for Career Success: Second GSAC Business Attire Initiative Kicks Off

Grossman School of Business 2019 Dress for Success
Grossman School of Business 2019 (Photo: Rachel Narkewicz)

As the seasons change and we begin to change wardrobes for the impending winter, many of us find ourselves with clothes that have gone out of style, no longer fit, or have been left untouched with the tags still intact. At one point or another, all students will need business professional clothing, whether for a case competition, networking night, presentation or even an interview.

When I came in as a first-year student to the business school, I had no professional clothes, no suit, blouses, trousers or anything Grossman School of Business alumna Maddie Stoops said. However, as my aunt is a lawyer, she shipped me two full boxes of clothes, so when I joined the Grossman Student Advisory Committee (GSAC), I knew I wanted to put on some sort of event that would allow other students to have access to professional clothes. I was lucky that I had my aunt send me those clothes, but I was thinking, how do all these other students get clothes for their presentations, interviews and case competitions?

Thanks to the generosity of Maddie’s aunt, the GSAC Professional Business Attire initiative was born,

Fast forward to 2021, and the current GSAC leadership team are enthusiastically prepping to host the second event. Their goal is to collect, and connect UVM students with affordable, donated professional clothing, so theyll be able to present their best selves regardless of the occasion.

GSAC are now collecting donations of second-hand professional clothing and the event will take place late fall semester ahead of final presentations, case competitions and summer internship interviews. (Sale date coming soon)

The Professional Business Attire initiative allows any UVM student to purchase donated business clothing with credit or debit cards; with the proceeds benefitting GSAC initiatives like the de-stress event, peer mentorship program and more.

Please consider supporting this exciting student-driven initiative by donating. Donations are being accepted now through Friday, October 29th in the Grossman School of Business, Center for Student Success office in Kalkin Hall. Drop off in person or mail to 55 Colchester Ave, Suite 100 Burlington, VT 05405.

Clothes that are clean and in good condition but no longer fit or have been hanging untouched in your closet since you bought them are prime candidates for this campaign. Below is some more guidelines as to what is accepted for this fundraiser should you need them.

Business Professional Polished and conservative attire work for interviews and career fairs
Dark colored suit jacket
Dark colored pants
Dark colored skirts (preferably at or below the knee)
Collared button-down shirts
Blouse
Ties
Dark dress shoes(preferably heels below 3 inches)
Belts

Business Casual or Smart Casual Attire less formal than business professional but still conservative and professional

Men
Polo, button-down shirt or blouse
Blazer jacket
Sweater or cardigan
Dark dress shoes(preferably heel below 3 inches)
Dress pants, chinos, or cotton pants

Not acceptable
Tops: Tank tops, t-shirts, athletic jackets and sweatshirts
Bottoms: Sweatpants, jeans, cargo pants, athletic pants, yoga pants, leggings, shorts and skirts shorter than fingertip length
Shoes: Open-toed shoes and sandals or shoes with heels exceeding 3 inches
Details: Bright colors, bold patterns and improperly fitting garments, excessive or overbearing perfume or cologne, flashy jewelry and excessive makeup.

Class of 2021 Change Makers Inaugurated

UVM, Grossman School of Business, Sustainable Innovation 2021 Inauguration

On Saturday August 14, 2021, our latest Sustainable Innovation MBA (SI-MBA) cohort were celebrated at their inauguration. Thirty-nine new SI-MBA graduates are now ready and equipped to be effective change-makers and use their knowledge and skills to create better ways of doing business.

The graduating cohort were joined by family and friends for an in-person ceremony held at the Royall Tyler theater on the UVM campus. The audience were welcomed by Grossman School of Business Dean Sanjay Sharma, program co-directors Caroline Hauser and Professor Chuck Schnitzlein, class speaker Apolon, and inauguration speakers Ted Castle and Caitlin Goss (a SI-MBA alumna), president and founder, and director of people and culture respectively, both at Rhino Foods based in Burlington, Vermont.

Eight students, Melina Harris, Robbie Mingay, Apolon, Anna Dechert, Chandler Jacobson, Sarah Wason, Jack Porterfield and Leonard Schloer were inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, by Grossman chapter president, associate dean, associate professor Barb Arel.

Melina Harris was the winner of the Malcom Severance Award, and the cohort chose Srini Venugopal as the Faculty Member of the Year, and Michael Dupee as the Adjunct Faculty Member of the Year.

We look forward to the profitable impact the cohort will make on our planet and people via business, using their knowledge, skills, and capabilities to transform todays business and create tomorrows truly inclusive and sustainable enterprises.

Congratulations one and all and a huge thank you to everyone who have helped teach, design, support and shape our award-winning program.

Class of 2025: Alina Gerke

We are so excited to welcome the Class of 2025 to the Grossman School of Business community. Today’s spotlight is Alina Gerke who is coming to UVM from Hamburg, Germany.grossman school of business, class of 2025,

“Hi, my name is Alina. My hometown is Hamburg, Germany, and I look forward to studying at the Grossman School of Business and playing field hockey at UVM. UVM has inspired me with its welcoming nature. I’m looking forward to finally coming to the University of Vermont, moving in, meeting new people and having an amazing time with my team. I’m very excited to be called a Catamount and about all the new experiences to come.

One of my goals is to be successful in both, business and field hockey. In my business studies, I want to figure out what area I want to specialize in. In field hockey, I want to grow as a team and be successful by using my athletic skills. Apart from that, I’m interested in getting to know the country and especially Vermont.

Welcome Alina!

Class of 2025: Jackie House

We are so excited to welcome the Class of 2025 to the Grossman School of Business community.

Today’s spotlight is Jackie House who is coming to #UVM from Madison, WI.

Jackie House

“I am a distance freestyler on the women’s swim team and coming into undergrad with a goal of attending dentistry school. I can’t wait to enjoy my college experience, swim some fast times, and learn a lot about business!

I haven’t visited campus in over two years but when I did visit I loved the ice cream that I got from the Dairy Bar.”

Welcome Jackie!

Summer Internship with Hank Caswell

Hank Caswell 2021
We caught up with Hank Caswell a UVM Grossman School of Business student to see how his summer internship has gone so far.

“My name is Hank Caswell and I am a rising senior in the Grossman School of Business. I am interning with L.L.Bean this summer as a Customer Marketing Analyst on the Consumer Targeting and Analytics team. The team is based at the company’s headquarters in Freeport, Maine. I’ve spent the last month building re-buy tables, creating customer demographic dashboards, and assisting in the weekly buyer file report. I am analyzing buyer behavior, customer segmentation, and the brand through a marketing lens. Throughout my internship, which is remote because of the pandemic, I have been learning about the Squirrel client (SQL), Tableau, and strategies to work with large datasets.

Along with this, I am working on a summer-long marketing campaign with four other interns to increase accessibility to the outdoors through L.L. Bean’s mission, analyzing macro trends in the outdoor retail industry while leveraging different channels of growth. When I am not working at L.L. Bean, you can find me bartending at Fiddlehead Brewing Company in Shelburne, Vermont!”

#UVMBiz #UVM #BeanOutsider