NAIOP Colorado, Project Destined and TCC Partner to Launch Bridge Program for Local Students

NAIOP Colorado, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, Project Destined, a leading social impact platform, and Trammell Crow Company TCC), a global development firm, are partnering to launch a Real Estate Development, Financing & Operations Bridge program in the Metro Denver area. The program stems from NAIOP Colorado’s existing partnership with Project Destined and consists of a seven-week "bridge" training program, where participants from Colorado Universities and historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) will learn from NAIOP professionals, as well as TCC mentors, about topics in the commercial real estate industry.

This new program will provide an unprecedented opportunity for Project Destined students – known as fellows – to learn from leaders in commercial real estate and earn a Financial Modeling Certification through Project Destined’s partnership with NYU’s Schack Institute of Real Estate and Columbia’s Graduate School of Real Estate. In addition to weekly sessions, accepted fellows will earn scholarships and network with NAIOP Colorado and TCC leaders through site visits and asset tours throughout the Colorado area.

“We are excited to expand our partnership with Project Destined and develop a robust talent pipeline as we train the next generation of leaders and help them prepare for the workforce. We are thrilled to have TCC on as a partner, offering valuable insight and real-world examples that the students will be able to learn from,” said CJ Manning, Vice President at Prime West and Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee at NAIOP Colorado.

As part of the Bridge Program, NAIOP professionals and mentors will prepare, engage and guide students to help them develop a range of fundamentals – including financial, technical, presentation and leadership skills – designed to aid their search for internships, certifications and full-time employment in the commercial real estate industry. TCC, which has been working with Project Destined across the U.S. since 2022, is acting as the lead sponsor for the 2023 Bridge Program.

“TCC’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion programming and partnerships are continuing to grow, and we are always looking for ways to expand our programming locally. The missions of NAIOP Colorado and Project Destined align with TCC’s ‘R.I.S.E.’ values – Respect, Integrity, Service and Excellence, which we share with our parent company, CBRE, also a partner of Project Destined,” said Erik Hagevik, leader of the TCC Denver office. “TCC launched a national partnership with Project Destined in 2022 and has since expanded to many local markets. In Denver, we look forward to partnering with Project Destined and with NAIOP to help introduce the world of commercial real estate to students earlier in their high school and college careers, with a goal of building a robust talent pipeline of future leaders that represent the diverse local communities where we live and work.”

“We are excited to partner with NAIOP Colorado to prepare this incredible group of students for a career in commercial real estate,” said Project Destined Co-Founder Cedric Bobo. “The real estate industry provides unparalleled opportunities to build a great career while also impacting your community and your city. This program will ensure that these students are ready to take on that challenge.”

Following the successful sponsorship of a Denver High School Program in Summer 2022, NAIOP Colorado helped Project Destined serve more students by sponsoring a team of college students in Fall 2022.

Since its founding in 2016, Project Destined has worked with more than 5,000 students in 35 cities across the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom and Europe. NAIOP Colorado’s partnership will support Project Destined and its mission to provide training in financial literacy, entrepreneurship and real estate to students from underserved communities and students at various HBUCs.