Inside Trinity College’s Real Estate Club: the Impact on Young Investors on Campus

Frank Sablone ’26

Contributing Writer

The Trinity College Real Estate Club (TCREC), founded in 2023 by Owen McDermott ’25 and Pierce Rutledge ’25, is a club that offers insights on the many intricate aspects of real estate. The executive board consists of co-presidents and founders McDermott, who interned at Empire State Realty Trust, Rutledge, who interned at Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated’s (JLL) New York office, Vice-President Tyler Gordon ’25, who is currently interning at JLL’s Hartford office and Treasurer James Maliszewski ’25, who interned as a Corporate Trust Intern for The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation.

This school year, the TCREC held four meetings consisting of separate presentations addressing various realms of real estate. The first meeting served as an introduction, where members were able to meet the officers and learn the goals, outline and structure of the club. At the second meeting, Rutledge led a presentation regarding the overview of the hotel real estate investment market. In the third meeting, McDermott presented on commercial lease negotiations and for the fourth meeting, Gordon presented and led a discussion on key aspects of industrial leases. So far, these three presentations have been professional, informative and organized, incorporating the knowledge and personal experiences of each presenter. 

On Tuesday, Oct. 15, 20 members of the TCREC took a trip to New York City to tour and learn more about commercial real estate in one of the top cities in the world for this industry. The itinerary for the day consisted of tours, events and informational sessions through various commercial real estate firms and buildings: Avison Young, for a light breakfast and presentation; Empire State Realty Trust, for a presentation; Empire State Building, for a tour of the observatory; JLL, for a networking lunch with Trinity alumni, followed by a tour of 437 Madison Avenue led by Mike Pallas, senior vice president at JLL; a tour of Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis; and ultimately circling back to Penn Station to return to Hartford. The crew departed from Penn Station at 4:15 p.m., making for a nearly 11-hour day of seeing and learning. Students left New York with an interactive experience and opportunity to hear from some of the industries’ best. 

“The trip was a great start to bridging the connection between students interested in real estate and alumni who are established professionals in the field,” reflected McDermott. “The day was a great example of how big of an asset the Trinity alumni community can be for our students. The conversations we had with industry leaders such as David Kleiner (JLL) and Mark Ravesloot (CBRE) demonstrate first hand the value that being a member of the Trinity community has to offer.” 

If you’re a Trinity student interested in real estate, exploring the industry and learning from experienced individuals, TCREC meets on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. in McCook auditorium.