Vice President of Acquisitions and Finance, Meriwether
If you ask Ryan Adzima for one word鈥攐ther than skiing鈥攄escribing why he left northern New Jersey for Denver, the answer would probably be innovation.
鈥淚n real estate, change comes slowly in Manhattan, because if you鈥檙e getting those rents, you鈥檙e happy with the money you鈥檙e making,鈥� Adzima said. 鈥淚f you want to do something different, you come to a place like Colorado, where you have room to develop new products and assets, and try something different.鈥�
He found both the geography and industry shift he sought in the Leeds MBA.听
鈥淲hether I spoke to someone like Mike Kercheval (executive director of the ) or Helen Zucchini (graduate admissions director), they would always tell me, 鈥楬ere鈥檚 another person you should talk to,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淚t helped me feel very comfortable and familiar with the real estate program.鈥澨�
Ironically, when it came to internships, Adzima found himself back in New York, working with prestigious SL Green Realty. He had a great experience with the underwriting team, but most enjoyed the chance to opportunity to work on a marketing effort.听
鈥淚f you want to do something different, you come to a place like Colorado, where you have room to develop new products and assets.鈥�
Ryan Adzima (MBA鈥�22)
The landlord鈥檚 iconic Summit One Vanderbilt had just opened, and Adzima hit on a low-cost way to compete with the other skyline experiences available in New York鈥攈ire a bunch of social media influencers to do the heavy lifting. Presenting that strategy to the marketing team was a highlight, though he鈥檚 more excited by redevelopment projects in Colorado than the bright lights of Manhattan.听
鈥淭he ballpark district in lower downtown sold me on what I want to do in real estate鈥攖he way they redeveloped all those old warehouses into something that鈥檚 still functional and adds to the sense of community,鈥� Adzima said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 something I took away from my experience at SL Green鈥攖he idea that you鈥檙e there to build a better community.鈥澨�
His education is helping him in his search as well as his part-time work with Pure Development. Through CUREC, he was able to complete the Adventures in Commercial Real Estate, or A.CRE, financial modeling accelerator鈥攁n ambitious extracurricular experience that he feels will be required to work in the field 10 years from now.听
鈥淭he Real Estate Center connected me with the most incredible opportunities,鈥� Adzima said. 鈥淚 go to every event they post, because it鈥檚 always a great opportunity to meet people or learn something new.鈥�