WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J.—Monmouth University students in the Kislak Real Estate Institute took home the top spot and a $5,000 cash prize at the second annual Intercollegiate Real Estate Academic Competition hosted by the Institute on Nov. 1. The first place Monmouth team was comprised of business students Brittany Leventoff of South Fallsburg, New York; James Azarian of Franklin Lakes; Isaac Beda of West Long Branch; and Michael Pavicic of Princeton.
The competition, generously sponsored by the Kislak Family Foundation, included teams of four students each from Baruch College, Lehigh University, Monmouth, Montclair State University, Rutgers University and Villanova University. Students had four weeks to prepare a detailed analysis of a current redevelopment property in Toms River and then presented to two panels of distinguished real estate professionals.
Monmouth’s team, coached by Irene McFarland, MBA, specialist professor of the Kislak Real Estate Institute, was selected as the winner for its combination of ideas, feasibility analysis, methodology, and presentation. Baruch finished in second place.
“We are extremely proud of the hard work and creative ideas the team put together,” McFarland said. “This was their first time competing in this type of competition and the students learned much about real estate along with teamwork.”
Judges for the competition included appraiser Russell Sterling, principal, Sterling DiSanto and Associates; Neena Miller, senior vice president and chief credit officer, OceanFirst Bank; David Roberts, municipal planner, Toms River Township; Jonathan Fisher, senior vice president, K. Hovnanian Homes; Steven Denholtz, CEO, Denholtz Associates; Kenneth Orchard, president, TriState Capital Bank; Stephen Santola, executive vice president, Woodmont Properties; and Matt Weilheimer, senior vice president, The Kislak Company.
Peter Reinhart, director of the Kislak Real Estate Institute, said, “We enter our students in several intercollegiate real estate academic competitions each year. No matter the result, we hear from our students how much they learn from participating in the competition. Many of our alumni tell us that competing is one of the highlights of their academic career.”
The Kislak Real Estate Institute at Monmouth University is New Jersey’s longest running university real estate academic program. For more information, visit monmouth.edu/kislak.