Written by: Chase Agin
Chase Agin is a student at Ohio Wesleyan University studying Finance Economics with a minor in Accounting. He interned with Colliers | Columbus this summer on the Research team, helping with special projects. Keep reading to get Chase’s take on how his internship helped him grow in his career.
Has your internship allowed you to network with other real estate professionals? If so, in what ways?
My internship with Colliers has allowed me to not only meet and network with other real estate professionals, but really get an understanding about the different roles that are involved within commercial real estate. I have been able to meet one-on-one with individuals from different aspects of the business and gain a better understanding of their role while seeing how they fit into the entire operation. I was even able to gain experience communicating with people outside Colliers in a professional manner and further my knowledge of the commercial real estate space.
What has been your favorite project to work on throughout your time at Colliers?
My favorite project to work on over this summer was a bit unconventional and spontaneous. Pretty early in the summer I was able to determine the things that I enjoyed about commercial real estate and some of things that I did not appreciate as much. Using this information, I found that I really liked the development side of commercial real estate and wanted to try my luck at building a model for a “potential development.” This forced me to read about what realistic assumptions would be for a model, which in turn compelled me to learn a plethora of new things. I enjoyed doing this because I was put into a realistic scenario with real numbers and information that helped me obtain real knowledge on the subject.
What has been the biggest learning lesson you will take away from this internship?
The biggest learning lesson I will take away from this internship is how important it is to network in the business. The entire commercial real estate business is built on relationships and forming these relationships is key to being successful in the industry. I also believe that having connections that you can benefit from as well as be beneficial for others. I think this is truly how you build a network and learn to provide value.