Real Estate Gold

A team of Cal Poly students edged out 28 other reputable universities in a national real estate challenge.

In April, Cal Poly took first place in the 2020 Mulroy Real Estate Challenge, held virtually by the Villanova School of Business. Competing against 28 other highly reputable universities, the team edged entries from real-estate powerhouses like Florida State, Penn State, UNC Chapel Hill, the University of Wisconsin Madison, Villanova, and Ohio State.

The format of the contest asked students to build a case study in real estate development with a heavy focus on finance, all of which needed to be completed in four days. Led by Business Administration fourth-year student Alexandra McPartland, the team consisted of five business students and one architecture student and built a presentation that incorporated all aspects of development from financing to design.

“The learning outcomes of this competition are literally what we should have in mind when we talk about adding cross collaboration between our students,” said Dr. Pratish Patel, associate professor of finance, who served as a faculty advisor for the team as they prepared for the competition. “Alexandra made sure everyone gelled together, practiced their presentations and, more importantly, was pivotal in making the project fun. And without a doubt, the expertise, resolve, and work ethic of Cutler Patierno, our architecture student, helped them put together a winning presentation.”

“The learning outcomes of this competition are literally what we should have in mind when we talk about adding cross collaboration between our students,”