The featured speaker of the January 22, 2015 Real Estate Boot Camp was Penn State alumnus Robert E. Fenza (’80), recently retired Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Liberty Property Trust, Philadelphia.  He spoke about his career trajectory, the history and progress of Liberty Property Trust, and the company’s niche as the greenest real estate investment trust.  

Fenza joined Liberty in 1984, after working for a real estate appraisal firm and then as director of operations for a public/private low-income housing partnership.  His dedication to Liberty has helped to position the company as a leading developer of environmentally friendly, high-performance industrial properties.  

“Mr. Fenza emphasized Liberty’s respect for the working lives of their tenants,” says Penn State Real Estate senior Henry Fox.  “And he stressed how Liberty has always been committed to a healthy balance sheet.”  These hallmarks of good corporate citizenship have enabled Liberty to weather the storms of the savings and loan crisis of the 1980s and the recent great recession—maintaining operations without impacting customer service or vendor relationships. 

Real Estate Boot Camp is a training program targeted to Penn State juniors and seniors looking for internships in a wide range of specialties in their field: corporate real estate management, real estate brokerage, appraisal, risk management, mortgage lending and banking, development, and governmental service.  

“Presentation Pitch Training” is the topic of the next Boot Camp, to be presented by guest speaker Larry Raiman, CEO of LDR Capital Management, on Monday, February 23.