Spring 2013 The Corky McMillin Center for Real Estate www.sdsu.edu/realestate tel: (619) 594-8328 email: [email protected] Wells Chief Economist: Recovery Here, alumni spotlight: but Slow john agle JOHN SILVIA, managing director ONE ISSUE THAT and chief econo- unites (or divides) mist for Wells Fargo nations is their ever- Securities was the increasing energy guest speaker and consumption needs. featured presenter for Most people don’t the Networking Night consider that all elec- event for the The trical generation tech- Corky McMillin Center nologies - whether a wind or solar farm, for Real Estate on John Silvia (left) with Dr. Michael Lea September 26, 2012. a geothermal facility, a gas-fired plant or any other technology – require adequate real Silvia says that the business environment is improving for both small estate assets. and large businesses, however, weak consumer spending and structural unemployment contribute to below trend growth in the economy. He SDSU graduate, John Agle (’87, Real Estate), also mentioned that the housing starts forecast is promising and that the director of The Energy Group for First Ameri- jobs outlook in San Diego is better than in other major California cities. can Title Insurance Company can tell you that securing the real estate is a critical step in developing a successful energy project. “We A Conversation with “Papa” Doug coordinate land-title search projects to identify “ I wasn’t interested in living anywhere else, Manchester so I chose San Diego State because of its “PAPA” DOUG proximity and business school reputation.” MANCHESTER (’65, – John Agle business administration) visited the SDSU campus and insure real estate interests relating to the and spoke to the invitees land on which the project is to be built,” said of The Corky McMillin Agle. “At any given time, we are working on Center for Real Estate dur- projects that involve wind, solar, hydro, natural ing a breakfast meeting gas, geothermal, biomass and any other energy on October 18, 2012. generation or storage technology.” After introductions by the (…CONTINUED ON PAGE 2) College of Business dean, Doug Manchester (left) with Mark McMillin Dr. Michael Cunning- ham, center director, Dr. Michael Lea, and Campanile Foundation Board member, Mark McMillin, Manchester took the floor to discuss his child- hood in Coronado, Calif., his days at San Diego State and his ascent into the business of commercial real estate. He also talked about his recent The Corky McMillin Center for Real Estate (…CONTINUED ON PAGE 3) College of Business Administration Recent Grad Spotlight (JOHN AGLE…CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1) MICHIGAN NATIVE, JOSEPH ALTMAN Agle, a native of Eden, New York, fell in love with San Diego (’12, real estate) enlisted in the Marine Corps when his family moved to Yuma, Arizona and he visited after high school to travel, which he did exten- San Diego often for concerts and other social events. sively, visiting numerous countries including, “Every time I drove over the mountains into the El Cajon Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Egypt Valley, I felt like I was visiting paradise,” he said. “I wasn’t among many others. During his travels, he interested in living anywhere else, so I chose San Diego began reading books on investing, which led State because of its proximity and business school reputa- him to an interest in real estate. tion.” He started off as a theatre major at SDSU, but discov- ered he had an aptitude for sales. Since he had experience Upon leaving the military, Altman began taking real estate in the title insurance business, he pursued his bachelor’s classes at San Diego Mesa College where he eventually earned degree in real estate. an associate degree in business administration. Upon graduation at Mesa, he enrolled in SDSU to continue his real estate studies. In all, Agle has spent a total of thirty-two years in the commercial title insurance industry, the last four with First While there, Altman connected with the SDSU Real Estate Soci- American. In 2011, he was given the opportunity to create ety, and learned about an internship with Evanco Realty Advisors a team to focus on energy-related transactions and suc- Inc. He began interning there during his final semester at SDSU. cess has come quickly. “In the last year, we have insured Before graduating, Craig Evanco, president and CEO of Evanco some of the largest solar facilities ever constructed, some Realty Advisors, offered him a full-time position as an assistant encompassing dozens of square miles. We also insured real estate manager. other utility-scale geothermal, wind and solar facilities “We’ve had the pleasure to work with three interns from the in Texas, Vermont, California, Nevada, Minnesota, Idaho, SDSU Real Estate Society and all three have been energetic, Montana, Hawaii and Arizona, and a groundbreaking smart and well-versed in real estate,” said Evanco. “Joseph was subterranean natural gas storage facility in Wyoming,” said the perfect find because his primary area of interest was com- Agle. “Because of the size and nature of the transactions we mercial property management, our core business. We plan to insure, they tend to be extremely complex and fascinating. continue to seek out qualified interns from SDSU because of the It’s not uncommon for a single transaction to involve min- great experiences we have with them.” eral, water, personal property, eminent domain, lien prior- ity and a myriad of other legal or developmental issues.” “ Explore internships to discover what you want to do in Though Agle earned his degree in 1987, he still remains your career and do not wait until the end of your studies active at SDSU as a board member for The Corky McMillin to begin interning.” – Joseph Altman Center for Real Estate and says that the real estate program at SDSU offered him the education that bolstered the Altman said he found the tight-knit community within SDSU’s experience he already had in that field. “And I still use my real estate program invaluable and he credits the SDSU faculty SDSU education every day.” he said. for his positive academic experience. He graduated SDSU with For today’s SDSU real estate students, Agle offers this honors, earning a bachelor of science degree in real estate and advice: “Learn as much as possible about the industry you his broker’s license in 2012. are about to enter, so that you can make an informed, sat- To current real estate majors, Altman offers this advice: “Explore isfying career decision. Graduates should focus on meeting internships to discover what you want to do in your career and industry professionals, since those networking meetings do not wait until the end of your studies to begin interning.” often morph into impromptu job interviews. And once you He also suggests that students strategically network with key find a position in the industry, continue to learn and make people working in an area that they are interested in and be sure the most of the opportunity by supplying enthusiasm, to network with their own classmates as they will likely be doing dedication and intellectual focus to achieve success.” business with them one day. Altman plans to continue working in property management Mark Goldman, SDSU Real Estate at Evanco Reality Advisors and will pursue a certified property manager designation in the near future. Faculty, Named H.G. Fenton Lecturer for 2012-2013 LAST SEPTEMBER THE SAN DIEGO Foundation generously awarded $20K to Real Estate Interns 2013 support our real estate faculty. Mark Gold- man, SDSU Real Estate Faculty, was named Need interns to help your business excel in 2013? the H.G. Fenton Lecturer by The San Diego Contact Gloria Negrete from The Corky McMillin Foundation. Mark has a CCIM designation Center for Real Estate at San Diego State University and 30 years of real estate finance experi- at 619-594-8328 or [email protected]. ence. He teaches real estate investments and finance at SDSU. RECENT SDSU REAL ESTATE PROGRAM PRESS MENTIONS Date Publication/Media Title of Article Person Quoted in Article 9/27/2012 San Diego Daily Transcript Reverse mortgages offer financing options for seniors, retirees Dr. Michael Lea 9/16/2012 North County Times HOUSING: ‘We’re in a seller’s market’ Mark Goldman 10/18/2012 Voice of San Diego Manchester: ‘Give Me $200 Million And I’ll Fix The Corky McMillin Qualcomm Stadium’ Center for Real Estate 10/17/2012 USA Today Housing starts hit 4-year high in September Dr. Michael Lea 10/2/2012 USA Today Home prices rising fast, but gains could slow Mark Goldman 11/29/2012 Wall Street Journal $12,000 a Month, for Maintenance Leonard Baron 11/27/2012 Wall Street Journal Playa Vista “Fills” Up Dr. Michael Lea 11/15/2012 interest.com First impressions: Analyzing our Home Affordability Study Dr. Michael Lea 12/24/2012 The Housing Bubble Speculators Overdoing a Spending Spree Dr. Michael Lea 12/12/2012 U-T San Diego SD home sales best in 7 years Dr. Michael Lea 12/12/2012 KUSI - San Diego Mortgage Interest Deduction in Jeopardy Dr. Michael Lea 12/4/2012 KPBS - San Diego First-Time Homebuyers Return To San Diego Housing Market Dr. Michael Lea The Corky McMillin Report from the Director Center for Real Estate I HAVE STEPPED DOWN AS DIRECTOR of The Corky McMillin Center for Real Estate Honors Mike Neal at the end of 2012. A search process is under- REAL ESTATE ADVISORY BOARD way to find a new director who should be on members and friends of the center gath- board in early 2013. ered for a recognition dinner to honor Mike I enjoyed my three years as director and believe that we Neal for his leadership and support as board chair of SDSU have built an organization that has been successful in Real Estate Advisory Board.