**NAIOP SoCal’s 2024 USC vs. UCLA Real Estate Challenge to Focus on Pico Rivera Site**
Now in its 28th year, the NAIOP SoCal USC vs. UCLA Real Estate Challenge will take place on November 20, hosted on the USC campus. This annual competition showcases a spirited rivalry as five-member graduate student teams from each university go head-to-head in applying real-world real estate and development strategies.
Representing the Ziman Center of Real Estate at UCLA’s Anderson School of Business and the Lusk Center at USC’s Marshall School of Business and Price School of Public Policy, the teams are challenged to determine the highest and best use for a distinct site in Southern California.
This year’s development site, owned by Optimus Property Group, is a 2.85-acre parcel located in the City of Pico Rivera within the Gateway Cities submarket of Los Angeles County. Positioned along Washington Boulevard—a critical arterial corridor—the site is surrounded by a blend of industrial facilities and neighborhood-serving commercial properties.
“The site will challenge the students to be creative and thoughtful as they look to satisfy the needs of an evolving city and solve for the highest and best use,” said Greg Brown, Chair of the NAIOP SoCal USC vs. UCLA Real Estate Challenge and Senior Managing Director and Co-Head of the Orange County office of JLL Capital Markets, Americas. “I look forward to what each of the teams propose, as this year’s challenge promises to be full of entertaining surprises as we watch this next generation share their ideas and competitive spirit.”
Victory in the competition—and possession of the coveted Silver Shovel—goes to the team that earns the most points from a panel of seasoned real estate industry experts and public sector leaders. Points are scored based on the quality and impact of both written and oral presentations.
The 2024 USC student team includes Desiree Bieber, Alex Blecksmith, Hugh Garvey, Matin Roshanand, and Paris Sato. The UCLA student team includes Isabelle Donatelli, Natalie Jones, Alexa Nourafchan, Sammi Weintraub, and Mark Yu.
