Detroit, MI, April 11, 2011 — Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Detroit, an organization celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2011 and influencing the success of the commercial real estate industry by advancing the achievements of women, announces its fourth annual CREW CareersTM Building Opportunities event will be held Thursday, April 28, 2011 at Quicken Loans in Detroit.
CREW CareersTM is an interactive, educational program designed to introduce high school age girls to the fundamentals of commercial real estate and career opportunities within the industry. It is a national program developed by CREW Foundation, the charitable arm of CREW Network, a professional organization of more than 8,000 commercial real estate women in the U.S. and Canada. CREW Detroit is partnering this year with the GoLightly Technical Education Center in Detroit. There are 45 young women currently participating in the In-School preview module component of CREW Careers in preparation for the main event on April 28th.
CREW Careers’TM theme for 2011 is Revival and creating a roadmap to get there, explains Alicia Buisst, CREW Detroit Board Member and an independent commercial real estate consultant.
“As experienced professional women with a collective membership that can perform all aspects of a commercial real estate deal, CREW Detroit members sees CREW CareersTM as a vehicle to get our future leaders, these students, to the ‘on ramp’ for reviving and rethinking Detroit,” says Buisst. “Several CREW CareersTM alumni from our inaugural event in 2008 have since graduated from high school and are pursuing careers in commercial real estate at Wayne State University and Lawrence Tech. CREW Detroit is keeping the connection to these young women. We want to provide them with additional resources and insights as they complete their undergraduate studies and help prepare them for a successful entry into the working world.”
The In-School modules are designed as part of an educational process leading to CREW CareersTM and focus on teaching the students responsibility and goal setting both as individuals and as a team. They also serve to help build support and understanding for the opportunities that exist for women in commercial real estate and the business world in general. Student comments from previous Detroit CREW CareersTM events include, “I want to experience another day like today. Today was just the BEST day”; “I never knew women could be so successful. I know I can do anything because I am a ‘smart cookie’”; and, “CREW CareersTM gave me the confidence to know that I can be a success in life.”
On event day, the young women participants become ‘developers for the day’ as they are put to the task of creating a redevelopment idea from an existing property. The event will include presentations by CREW members to teach the students about the many components of a real estate deal and how the parties interact to get the job done. The young women will work in teams with CREW members as advisors to develop their projects. Student teams will then present their ideas to a panel of judges, with the winning team awarded laptop computers and the other teams awarded gift cards. Ultimately, the students not only become ‘professionals for a day’, but gain confidence and learn teamwork, responsibility, leadership and business skill that can be applied long after CREW Careers™ is over.
According to CREW Detroit Outreach Director Janet Gekiere, Business Development and Marketing Manager at Birmingham-based Ronnisch Construction Group, Detroit’s CREW Careers™ is a transformative event for both the young women from GoLightly Technical Education Center and the 40+ CREW Detroit members who serve as volunteers.
“It takes a tremendous amount of time and commitment from CREW Detroit to present this program. Our members share their knowledge with the participants with enthusiasm and encouragement, and the understanding that this may be the first – and only – time they are exposed to the careers CREW represents,” notes Gekiere. “It is gratifying for our members to watch these young women engage in and become excited about career possibilities they never imagined were available to them.”
CREW Detroit, through its own resources and with the support of its sponsors, including lead sponsor Key Bank, contributes nearly $10,000 to make CREW Careers™ a reality. CREW Careers™ is only one of the outreach efforts led by CREW Detroit members. The organization is also involved with Alternatives for Girls (AFG) and First Step of Wayne County.
About CREW Detroit
CREW Detroit (www.crewdetroit.org), founded in 1986 and celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2011, is dedicated to influencing the success of the commercial real estate industry by advancing the achievements of women through networking and member-to-member driven business opportunities. It is a founding chapter of CREW Network, a professional organization of more than 8,000 women and men in commercial real estate in the U.S. and Canada that serves as a key resource to CREW chapter members and the commercial real estate industry. CREW Network members hail from all disciplines of commercial real estate and represent every type of expert required to “do the deal.” Learn more at www.crewnetwork.org.
Media Contact: Barbara M. Fornasiero; 248.651.7536; 586.817.8414 barbara@eafocus.com
