By
Linda Jarrett
The St. Louis Young Leaders Group, an affiliate of the Urban
Land Institute, was one of two national groups to receive an
award at ULI’s national meeting in Denver, Colo. at the national
conference.
The award, presented to the group for their program on the Financial
Toolbox Workshop Series, was accepted by Robert Goltermann of
Maune Development and chair of the St. Louis Young Leaders Group.
“We received the award for the rich content of the programs
we present,” Goltermann says.
ULI is a 71-year-old nonprofit research and education organization
with more than 34,000 members worldwide representing the entire
spectrum of land use and real estate development disciplines,
working in private enterprise and public service.
The mission of the Urban Land Institute is to provide leadership
in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining
thriving communities worldwide.
Wanting to reach out to those graduates who could offer much
to the Institute by bringing in new concepts, in 2001, created
a special membership category for young professionals under
the age of 35. They reduced dues and meeting registration fees
to equal those offered to government officials, academics and
nonprofits.
Today, 38 District Councils sponsor Young Leader Groups and
membership of those 35 years of age or younger topped 4,000
and student memberships total 1,500.
“Our main responsibility is to put on programs focusing on rich
content for anyone in our real estate community,” Goltermann
says. “We focus on programs that would appeal to a younger set,
but they are open to anyone, members and non-members. The purpose
is to become well-versed on a particular subject. We often put
on joint programs.”
“Recently, we put on a program called ‘High Rise Living Trends
in St. Louis,’ and compared them nationwide,” he says. “Everyone
who attends these programs walks away with a packet of information
to help them understand the program, its intent and the way
to implement that intent.”
The group accomplishes its goals while appealing to a different
niche. While the ages may differ, the intent is the same, and
each group learns from the other.
Trey Sawyer, who graduated from the University of Missouri in
Columbia with a degree in finance and real estate, helped to
found the Young Leaders Group. He says that after graduation,
he was involved with the Urban Land Institute, but that there
was no Young Leaders Group in St. Louis.
“While there was a push in other cities for ULI to obtain and
gain young members involved in real estate, that was not happening
here,” he says. “Lewis Levey encouraged me to start this organization.”
“We’ve had some fantastic programs for the past few years, programs
on subsidies, TDD’s, TIF’s, and tax credits,” he says. “I don’t
call it networking for a couple of years. It’s ten years down
the road when it will really make a difference, when people
know that you’re committed to the proper use of land which means
creating sustainable communities.
Sawyer says that this Young Leaders Group is as “active as the
senior ULI group which is very active, and I give credit to
Rob because the programs are fantastic. We knew what we were
seeing from the regular ULI, and we tried to mimic them, and
it worked out to our advantage. We now have top quality programs.”
ULI neither lobbies nor acts as an advocate for any single industry.
ULI examines land use issues, impartially reports findings,
and convenes forums to find solutions to complex land use problems,
collaborating with industry and stakeholder groups worldwide.
Goltermann says that when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast,
the ULI was the “first group asked to go down there to perform
a non-biased study of the area and ascertain what should be
done. We’re like the ‘go to’ organization when it comes to real
estate since we’re a non-lobbying organization.
“We try to encompass every point-of-view, and we’ve done some
stuff nationally that the other Young Leaders’ Groups haven’t
done, which is focusing on the type of programs we present.”
Jack Reis, president of EVS Realty Advisors Inc., and chairman
of the local District Council of the Urban Land Institute praised
the Young Leaders Organization, and said, “I wish this had been
around when I was 30-years-old to hear these concepts of what
really drives commercial real estate.
“Rob has done a wonderful job. These are dedicated young professionals
who get to access those people who are seniors in their fields.
This organization looks forward and spots the trends that are
happening globally.”
