Mentorship Program

 

Click HERE for 2012 Application Due May 4th


ULI Houston is proud to announce the formation of its first Young Leader Mentorship Program.  The “Young Leaders” is a subset of ULI Houston members under the age of 35, and as a group strives to facilitate networking and continuing education that will help our members as they start their careers.  Membership is available to anyone whose profession is directly involved in or services commercial real estate, and our members include representatives from all spectrums of the industry: development, acquisition, management, brokerage, finance, architecture, engineering, governmental services, etc.

The mission of this Mentor Program is to provide an opportunity for ULI Young Leader members (ULI members age 35 and under) and seasoned ULI members to connect, grow, and create lasting relationships by sharing their knowledge and experiences in an atmosphere of confidentiality, trust, and respect.

 

Program Size


The initial goal for the Program is 4-5 groups, each consisting of 3-4 Young Leaders and one Mentor (i.e., up to 20 participants and 5 Mentors).  If deemed appropriate, the Program could be expanded in subsequent years based on Program success/level of interest among Young Leaders and availability of qualified/willing Mentors.  However, even if more groups are added, individual groups will always be limited in size to no more than 5 people, including mentor.

 

Commitment


Every Young Leader applicant must be committed to the Mentor Program in order to create the type of atmosphere necessary for success. 100% attendance and participation in each meeting over the course of a full year is expected. Missing more than one meeting will disqualify the applicant from further participation in his/her group and any future programs. Applicants should verify with their employer/boss that they will be allowed the flexibility to participate in the Program prior to applying.

 

Annual Program Budget
 

Per Group:  The program will be free for ULI members.  Each group will be provided an annual budget at the beginning of the program, and will be given flexibility to choose how they want to spend their Program budget over the course of the year.  (For instance, groups could plan regular breakfast meetings at lower costs, and then use the remaining budget to schedule a more expensive lunch/dinner/event for their group at the end of the program.)  Costs of individual group meetings will be reimbursed by ULI up to the given budget, as coordinated through the Mentor Program Chair(s).

Program Kickoff/Wrap-Up Events:  In addition to the individual group meetings, the program will also include kick-off and wrap-up events at the beginning and end of the year, respectively that will gather all of the groups together.  Additional meetings for all participants may be scheduled throughout the year to the extent the program leaders feel they would support the goals of the program and add to the experience of the mentors/mentees.

Sponsorship:  2011 Mentor Program support provided by Wells Fargo

 

Structure


The program will be run by two Mentor Program Chairs, who will typically be Young Leader Committee Members, with assistance from the Young Leader Committee Chair and the ULI District Leadership. 

Each Group shall consist of 3-4 Young Leaders (“mentees”) from different professional backgrounds and organizations. Diversity is a key component to the Program as it is focused on exposing YL to the entire real estate industry and allows for more candid discussions.  Each group will have one mentee member that will serve as a Coordinator for their specific group during the course of the Program.  Coordinators will play a crucial role by acting as a liaison between the groups and the Program Chairs, and providing feedback to the Program Chairs.  The Coordinators are not responsible for the content of all group meetings but should work to ensure the group continues to meet on a regular basis. The role is also crucial to take the scheduling work off the mentor’s hands, as well as keeping the group focused and together.

 

Meeting Ideas
 

Individual group meetings will be led by the mentor and one mentee.  Meetings can be as simple as discussions over Coffee/Breakfast/Lunch, or they can be more structured such as dinner, drinks, or going to a baseball game.  It will be up to each group to decide what types of meetings will best facilitate building relationships among their members.

Each mentee participant will be responsible for planning one meeting for his/her group during the course of the Program.  Sample discussion topics include:

  • Professional and personal growth (i.e. five and ten year plans, life map, etc.)
  • Career Goals / Planning
  • Personal career drivers (geography, family, age, experience, ideals, philosophies)
  • Issues and/or obstacles being encountered at work
  • Case Studies on particular projects
  • Reports/Presentations on a specific facet of land use / development (residential, office, retail, mixed use, architecture, engineering, land planning, etc.)
  • Market and/or demographic trends, current events, or pressing issues (financial market, green building, infill development, value-add, public investment in areas, etc.)
  • Market/Sub Market Tours - Tour an area and discuss the factors driving all forms of development in that market
  • Site Discussions - have someone familiar with a project join a meeting to discuss a specific deal and the lessons learned/hurdles encountered
  • Conference Calls – Distribute a timely article that will serve as a discussion point during a conference call. This is a great way stay connected in between in-person meetings.
  • Social Events (not all meetings need to be formal and discussing real estate)
  • Attendance at a sporting event (baseball game, hockey game, etc.)
  • Golf, bowling, or other activity
  • Happy hour/drinks


Selection of Mentees
 

Young Leaders interested in participating will fill out a short application to quantify their interest in (and dedication to) the program.  Mentor Program Chairs and the Young Leaders Committee Chair will narrow the list of qualified applicants to no more than 35.   The final 20 applicants selected for the Program will be finalized from that group in consultation with the ULI District Chair and/or the local ULI Director.

 

Selection of Mentors
 

Each year an expansive list of proposed Mentors will be prepared by the District Chair and/or the local ULI Director, based on their knowledge of active ULI Membership, with a focus on providing seasoned ULI members as candidates for the Program.  An effort would be made to utilize new Mentors each year – to the extent possible. Join us in a big thank you to our 2011 Mentors:
Brad Freels – CEO, Midway
David Hightower  – EVP & Chief Development Officer, Wolff Companies
Rusty Tamlyn – Senior Managing Director, HFF
Tim Williamson – EVP-Real Estate, Cadence Bank
Tom Fish –  Executive Managing Director / Co-Head, Capital Markets Group - Real Estate Investment Banking, Jones Lang LaSalle Americas, Inc

Stay tuned for 2012 Mentors!

 

Confidentiality
 

Confidentiality is absolute, in all ways and forever. This is critically important to the success of this program, and a breach in confidentiality will be treated as a resignation from the Mentor Program.