Community Real Estate Development Program - Class of 2008 [06/16/2008]

by Jenna Emmons

Sponsored by the USF Collaborative for Children, Families and Communities in cooperation with the USF Florida Institute of Government, this Continuing Education program teaches the basics of real estate analysis, requirements and available financing for affordable housing, and how to manage the real estate development process. The class of 2008 runs from May 15 – August 22 and meets on the USF Tampa campus.

Along with a three-module training schedule, participants are introduced to a veritable who’s who in Tampa Bay area community development. In addition to classroom instruction, a Lunch and Learn speaker series, organized by CRED instructor Thomas Zuniga, helps make the connection between the learned tools and skills of real estate development and real life examples and implementation. Kevin Tatreau of Neighborhood Lending Partners, the Rev. Dr. Thomas Scott of the Tampa City Council and Anthony Jones of the Housing Finance Authority of Pinellas County are just a few of the speakers the participants have garnered knowledge from so far.

Midway through the program, the CRED class of 2008 is now planning community real estate projects. With the knowledge they have gained from speakers and Module 1: Basic Skills in Real Estate Development, each participant has been asked to present a detailed real estate development project to the USF School of Architecture and Community Design. With architecture students’ and faculty input, and the tools learned from Module 2: Project Financial analysis and Module 3: Managing Real Estate Development, these projects will be fine-tuned and presented to a roundtable of community development practitioners, public program staff, and local private lenders, who will offer feedback and recommendations on each project.

CLASS MEMBER QUOTES:

Andrew Heron, church administrator with El Bethel Tabernacle Church said, “I can truly say that I have received many years worth of practical insight and application under the tutelage of Tom Zuniga and his distinguished guests.”

Shrimatee Ojah-Maharaj, assistant director of Midtown Economic Development said, “The CRED class has gone beyond my expectations in providing a forum to work with and meet nonprofit developers and other professionals while enhancing my knowledge base.”

Evangeline Best, better known as Vann, is a retired educator. She worked with the School District of Hillsborough County’s Head Start Program for 37 years. Vann said, “I have gained much insight. I wish other non-business persons [board members] could have this class experience.”

As a Homebuyer Educator with Goodwill Manasota, Dolores Episcopo helps prospective homebuyers navigate through the unfamiliar territory of preparing to buy a home. Dolores said, “The CRED class has exceeded my expectations. In addition to the technical aspects of financial analysis, sources of capitalization, the planning process and the perspectives of all the stakeholders, I have had the privilege of meeting subject experts and a whole new cohort of colleagues from different areas of interest and expertise. All this and we’re having fun too!”

Leonard Burke is co-founder, along with Wally Olopade, of Fairate Management, Inc. (FMI). FMI is a real estate investment firm based in Tampa. Leonard, notably one of the youngest participants in the program thus far, had this to say about his CRED experience. “I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Zuniga before class started and was very impressed with his wisdom and experience. After I found out about the class, I jumped on the opportunity to be a part of it. I expected the class to be very informative, and it has far exceeded any expectation I had. I’ve never interacted with a more diverse group. I am truly blessed to be amongst all of them and look forward to working with them in the future. Even if no business comes of this class, the wisdom and friendships that I’ve developed are amazing.”

With over thirty years experience planning and administering housing, community development and human resource programs, Frank Bowman has had the opportunity to work with federal, state and local government, as well as the private sector. Frank currently works as housing development manager for the Pinellas County Department of Community Development and the Housing Finance Authority of Pinellas County. “When I was first offered the opportunity to participate in the CRED program, I was very excited to learn that I would be able to study all aspects of this difficult business within a single curriculum. The actual learning experience is far exceeding my expectations. It’s extremely well structured; it presents all aspects of the development process through both theoretical and real life examples; and provides a real opportunity to absorb the culture of the discipline. It also provides an opportunity to build relationships with other local practitioners,” said Frank.