LEARN FROM industry pros
CRE Launch Program9-week training starting June 1, 2023
Accepting applications now through March 27, 2023
The CRE Launch Program was created to attract and retain high quality talent in the industry. Graduates have gone on to enjoy successful careers in property management, brokerage, lending, underwriting, and insurance for dozens of commercial real estate companies.
The program consists of in person classes, online coursework, assignments, projects, mentorship and networking. It requires 10-15 hours a week commitment from the students but is designed for those working full time.
Classes commence in the summer of 2023 and will run for nine weeks. The program provides participants the opportunity to develop practical skills and expand their knowledge of commercial real estate.
The program is open to upperclassmen in college as well as new commercial real estate professionals looking for training. Students from more than ten universities and eight brokerage firms have participated in this program.
Launch Program Teachers
Development Process
Melissa Chamrad
Director of Real Estate and Finance at Hemisfair Park Area Redevelopment Corporation
As the founder of Duke Development, Melissa has been involved in master planning and strategic visioning for real estate projects and has executed projects from concept to build-out. She advises owners and investors in developing office, retail, restaurant, mixed-use, and multi-family projects.
Economics
Blake Hastings
Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Chief Economist at SWBC, Former Member of Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
Blake Hastings serves as Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Chief Economist for SWBC. In this role, Blake provides leadership in the areas of corporate strategy, corporate development including M&A activity, and economic analysis for SWBC clients and business line leaders.
Financing/Debt
Robert Keith
Managing Director at The Corporation for Interest Rate Management
Hedging may be part of the equation, but is usually not the complete solution for the borrower. For over 20 years, Robert Keith has been advising corporate borrowers on specific strategies and structures to inexpensively mitigate interest rate risk and minimize their total interest expense over the term, saving clients considerable time and expense.
Challenges in Title
Doug Becker
Vice President and Commercial Counsel at Chicago Title
Doug joined Chicago Title in 2003 after a 27-year career as one of the leading real estate transaction lawyers in San Antonio, TX. Among other accolades that Doug has received include being a Fellow in the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, being Board Certified in Commercial and Residential Real Estate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and being a Licensed Instructor by the Texas Real Estate Commission.
Multifamily
Rick Holland
Vice President – Investments at Fulton Development Group
Rick is the Vice President of Investments for Fulton Development Group, a multifamily development company headquartered in San Antonio.
Brokerage 101
Bethany Babcock, MBA
Principal, Co-Owner of Foresite Commercial Real Estate
Bethany has 18 years experience managing, selling and leasing office buildings and retail centers and is now the co-owner of Foresite Commercial Real Estate.
Legal 101
Andrew Baumgardner
Partner at Jackson Walker
Andrew has 20+ years of experience in commercial real estate law and is a partner at Jackson Walker. He has represented some of the area’s largest clients including Whataburger in their recent sale.
Property Management
Kraig McCoy
Assistant Director of Property Management at Foresite Commercial Real Estate
Kraig has over twenty years of experience in commercial property management. He is the Assistant Director of Property Management of Foresite Commercial Real Estate and his work experiences include management of office, retail, medical and industrial properties across San Antonio.
Entitlement Process
Steve Lin
Senior Project Manager at CDS Muery
Steve is a Registered Professional Engineer (PE) in the State of Texas and is currently a Senior Project Manager at CDS Muery. His portfolio includes In-N-Out Burgers, the Rivera Luxury Apartments, CVS Pharmacies, CST Brands Cornerstores, among others.
Investment Sales Underwriting
Chad Knibbe, CCIM
Principal, Co-Owner of Foresite Commercial Real Estate
Chad has over 15 years experience underwriting thousands of shopping centers during his career as an investment sales agent and now co-owner of Foresite Commercial Real Estate.
COMPREHENSIVE MODULES AND IN-PERSON CLASSES
topics covered
- CRE Math 101
- Commercial Leases 101
- Commercial Contracts
- Lease Abstracting
- Property Management 101
- Selecting and Identifying Comparables
- Entitlement Process
- Title Issues
- CRE Macro Economics
- Accounting for Non-Accountants
- Reconciliations
- Property Taxes
- Commercial Financing Instruments
- Retail Development
- Office Development
- Multifamily Development
- Intro to Investment Sales
- Inv. Sales 101 - Pricing & Risk
- Inv. Sales 102 - Leverage
- Inv. Sales 103 - Cashflow Model
COURSE Objectives and EXPECTATIONS
We are looking to identify the next class of up and coming commercial real estate professionals and assist them in acquiring valuable knowledge and connections. The class size has been limited to 30 students in order to maximize impact through knowledge, application, independent thinking and networking.
Requirements:
15 hours of coursework per week
1 - 2 classes per week
Meetings with assigned mentor
To apply, click the link below and upload your resume, cover letter and a link to your LinkedIn profile.
Selected students will be announced in April.
Sponsors
Looking to help increase the accessibility of our industry to new professionals? Please consider joining us as a sponsor or providing a scholarship to a student. View sponsorship details here.
what graduates say
Having been part of Foresite’s Commercial Real Estate Training Program, I can say that this is an incredible opportunity to be mentored by industry leaders and veterans from Foresite Commercial Real Estate. Bethany, Chad, Alexandria, and the whole Foresite team were amazing to work with and were always willing to meet virtually one-on-one and provide insightful information for our course work. I’m grateful to have been part of Foresite’s 2020 Training Program, as I made so many connections and it led me to my current employment at NorthMarq!
My career is in commercial lending and this is where the class really helped me become both more confident in talking to customers about development projects but also underwriting their projects.
