2024 REIAC/Rockefeller Group Challenge winners of Picnic Development are (left to right) Bridger Hendzel, Keyonna Martinez, Nicholas Anderson, and Kevin Winkler.
PHOENIX, ARIZ. (April 8, 2025) – The 12th REIAC/Rockefeller Group Challenge again offers a cash prize to a winning team of graduating Masters of Real Estate Development (MRED) students from Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business.
The event is May 8 at Arizona Biltmore Golf Club Adobe Bar & Grille, 2400 Biltmore Estates Drive, in Phoenix. This year features a new twist – five “Real Estate Celebrity Judges.” Each team has 10 minutes to present. Presentations will be judged and the winning team selected by industry leaders:
- Sharon Harper, Plaza Companies;
- John Graham, Sunbelt Holdings;
- Charley Freericks, Howard Hughes Holdings, Inc.;
- Heather Personne, Evolve Ventures;
- Lorenzo Perez, Venue Projects.
Each winning team member receives a check for $1,000 from REIAC and Rockefeller Group.
Registration and networking begin at 3:30 p.m. The presentations are from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. with voting and announcement of the winning team shortly after. A networking mixer will be held after the announcement.
“Our REIAC chapter deeply values the collaboration with Arizona State University, as it allows us to mentor and support the next wave of talented developers in Arizona,” said Arthur J. Ferrari III, REIAC Southwest President and President of LineageCRE. “These remarkable young individuals are shaping the future of our industry, and we are proud to play a part in their journey.”
Competing teams of graduating ASU MRED students will each present their response to a request for development of the northeast and northwest corners of Rural Road and Rio Salado Parkway Gateway to the Novus Innovation Corridor.
Mark Stapp, Executive Director of the MRED program, described the students’ thesis as “a culminating experience that demands the application of everything students have learned. These projects present wicked problems that push the boundaries of students’ knowledge and would pose a challenge even for the most seasoned professionals.”
“The Rockefeller Group is honored to participate in what has become an annual tradition that has provided additional motivation for MRED students to be selected as one of the top three teams to compete in the Challenge,” said Mark Singerman, Past President of the REIAC Southwest Chapter and Vice President/Regional Director-Arizona for The Rockefeller Group, the event’s title sponsor.
“The inspiring and creative solutions the teams have presented at the Challenge over the years demonstrate what a fabulous job Mark Stapp and his staff have done in preparing the students for careers in real estate development and investment,” Singerman said.
Registration is required for the event. Registration fee is $30 for non-members; students will be admitted free. Register here.