Ryan Adzima (MBA’22)
Vice President of Acquisitions and Finance, Meriwether
If you ask Ryan Adzima for one word—other than skiing—describing why he left northern New Jersey for Denver, the answer would probably be innovation.
“In real estate, change comes slowly in Manhattan, because if you’re getting those rents, you’re happy with the money you’re making,” Adzima said. “If 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.”
He found both the geography and industry shift he sought in the Leeds MBA.
“Whether I spoke to someone like Mike Kercheval (executive director of the ) or Helen Zucchini (graduate admissions director), they would always tell me, ‘Here’s another person you should talk to,’” he said. “It helped me feel very comfortable and familiar with the real estate program.”
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.
“If you want to do something different, you come to a place like Colorado, where you have room to develop new products and assets.”
Ryan Adzima (MBA’22)
The landlord’s 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—hire a bunch of social media influencers to do the heavy lifting. Presenting that strategy to the marketing team was a highlight, though he’s more excited by redevelopment projects in Colorado than the bright lights of Manhattan.
“The ballpark district in lower downtown sold me on what I want to do in real estate—the way they redeveloped all those old warehouses into something that’s still functional and adds to the sense of community,” Adzima said. “That’s something I took away from my experience at SL Green—the idea that you’re there to build a better community.”
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—an ambitious extracurricular experience that he feels will be required to work in the field 10 years from now.
“The Real Estate Center connected me with the most incredible opportunities,” Adzima said. “I go to every event they post, because it’s always a great opportunity to meet people or learn something new.”