The Buccini/Pollin Group (BPG) is proud to announce that the BPG U Class of 2023 has officially graduated! For its third year, BPG U partnered with Yes, We Tech! to introduce Delaware high school juniors and seniors to all aspects of real estate development through on-the-job learning and classroom-based training.
This year we had students from Brandywine High School, Cab Calloway School of the Arts, Concord High School, Freire Charter School, Hodgson Vo-Tech High School, Odessa High School, and Tower Hill School.
Applicants were chosen from a diverse pool of community partners, and after completing a competitive interview process, students were placed at a variety of different employers in Wilmington including Rodel, Tech Council of Delaware, Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League, Code Different, WSFS Bank, CSC, The Buccini/Pollin Group, Pepco, and Richards, Layton & Finger.
This 7-week paid program began on June 22 and over the course of the summer BPG U Interns learned about each department at BPG from meeting with BPG Leadership, Construction, and Development, to Marketing, and Property Management giving them an overview of the development process from conception to completion. BPGU also offered unique supplemental experiences like having lunch with Mayor Purzycki and touring City Hall.
The presentations included investment strategies in the real estate market from members of our Finance and Acquisitions Department and Asset Management to better help them understand the ins and outs of the market and what determines a positive investment. They engaged in conversation on equitable development while learning about BPG’S community reinvestment initiatives at the Lower Hill Development in Pittsburgh while hearing from special guests Bomani Howze, BPG VP of Development in Pittsburgh, and Amachie Ackah of Clay Cove Capital.
The BPGS Construction team shared insight into the design process of projects, which complimented the presentation from Christina River Exchange about the FF&E process once a project is nearing completion.
The Interns had the unique experience of working with our Marketing Team while attending the groundbreaking for BPG’s newest residential community, Humble Park. At the ceremony, each intern was tasked with interviewing a project partner about the impact the new community’s impact on the City of Wilmington.
In the final weeks of BPG U, interns had the opportunity to select a department and work side-by-side with team members from Construction, Design, Marketing, Commercial Management, and BPG Sports for an individualized internship experience.
At their graduation, each intern presented their BPG U experience and individual internships. In attendance was BPG Co-President Rob Buccini, along with BPG executives, team members, BPG U Alumni, and Yes! We Tech team members. BPG U Interns enjoyed not only sharing their own experiences but seeing what their fellow classmates worked on in their internships. Following this year’s program, many students expressed interest in a real estate development career path and stated that the experience opened their eyes to new avenues after high school. Jeremy Francois, a rising junior at Hodgson Vo-Tech High School, was previously interested in Computer Sciences and Software Engineering. He has now shifted his future plans towards sports marketing after working side-by-side with the BPG|Sports marketing team at the Chase Fieldhouse.
Following the presentations, students received certificates for the completion of the program by BPG Co-President Rob Buccini and Sarah Lamb, Vice President of Design, Marketing, & Community Outreach. They finished up the day with lunch and the opportunity to converse with attendees and BPG U Alumni.
BPG U is an associate-led youth development initiative conceived in an effort to address inequalities within our community and to increase diversity in the industry. BPG is proud to continue to host this program on an annual basis and hopes that other companies within the City of Wilmington will see the value and offer similar opportunities to local youth.
Click here to learn more about our BPG Cares Initiatives and for more information on how to get involved with BPG University or adopt a similar program at your company, please email BPGU@bpgroup.net
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