Our Resident Experts

Chris Grobelny, Vice-President of Weston Inc., and Rob Namy, Regional Vice President of Acquisitions for Weston, recently shared their knowledge of the financial aspects of commercial real estate with the students of Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs. Chris and Rob were invited to speak by Professor Robert Simons (known as Dr. Roby), a Professor and former director of the Master of Urban Planning, and current Faculty Advisor for the Certificate Program in Real Estate Development and Finance. Chris and Rob spoke about the history of Weston and its many divisions, as well as the company’s plans to for the future. The lecture focused largely on cash flow and valuations of industrial real estate. In particular, the usage of capitalization rates and the direct effects of net operating income and value were on the agenda for the class.   A case study on Weston’s valuation of Wilson Business Park was presented using the income approach, which provided useful information to the students on how to result in the most successful financial outcome. 

Weston’s affiliation with The Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs was fostered by the efforts of Rob Namy, a former graduate of the program. Rob has worked with Dr. Roby on judging case studies of students who have challenges in specific areas of the material. Both Namy and Grobelny hope to return to the school as guest lecturers in the future. As Grobelny put it, “To those of us who have been through an MBA program in Finance, we know the demands it puts on your time. I have the utmost respect for the students undertaking this program, and it was a real pleasure for Rob and I to share our experiences, as well as any knowledge we could impart.”