Project REAP is returning to NYC and Washington, DC for its spring semester that starts in March.
The Real Estate Associate Program is a diversity initiative meant to foster more multicultural professionals in commercial real estate.
REAP, a nonprofit in its 20th year, has held programs in nine major cities to date including New York, Washington, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Dallas.
The organization counts over 400 REAP alumni serving in executive and management positions with such retail giants and other major firms as IKEA, Target, Netflix, TIAA-CREF, Citi, and Tiffany & Co.
Classes follow a banner year for REAP. Board member Eric Yarbro, executive managing director of Colliers International, and his team brokered a mega-deal launching a 17,500 sq Ikea store in Manhattan working with REAP Chicago alumna Angele Robinson-Gaylord, president of US Property at IKEA Group and an ICSC trustee.
Robinson-Gaylord said, “The industry is changing at breakneck speed. We have to adapt to remain relevant.” She spoke too of the proven value of diversity for business as “diverse perspectives improve profitability and employee engagement.”
Robinson-Gaylord was the keynote speaker for the ICSC Deal-Making conference in Manhattan.
“The more becomes known about the accomplishments of REAP alumni and all affiliated with the program, the more applicants we anticipate,” said REAP Associate Program Director Osayamen Asemota-Bartholomew.
