Brendan Flowers (MSRED '22), Development Associate, SmartCentres REIT

Having grown up in Toronto during a time of significant population and urban development, Flowers was fascinated by its transformation from a mid-sized city to a near-global city. "My interest in the built environment was further influenced by my father’s involvement in Toronto’s real estate development industry as a land development attorney, acting on behalf of real estate developers to secure entitlements," says Flowers. "Rather than pursuing law, given my affinity for drawing and design, my interest in the real estate industry was initially architecturally focused. However, towards the end of my undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto, I developed a desire to better understand the interplay between urban design and real estate financing, which led me to exploring the Master of Science in Real Estate Development program at the University at Buffalo."

Today, Flowers is a development associate with SmartCentres REIT, a company that pursues real estate ventures that redefine communities through holistic master plans. 

UB offered me the opportunity to learn the business side of real estate, while being immersed in the School of Architecture and Planning. The cross-disciplinary nature of the program, particularly in the final capstone project, was of interest to me as it was broadly reflective of the collaborative nature of our industry. For me, the geographical proximity to Toronto, and the simultaneous exposure to a cross-national real estate perspective afforded me the opportunity to contrast my own experience in the Canadian real estate market, with the American context. Additionally, the City of Buffalo’s history as a national economic center and its present post-industrial realities provided learning opportunities for resilient, long-term city building.

During my time at UB, I greatly benefited from the small classroom sizes and a wide array of course options that truly expanded my understanding of the real estate industry. Courses were taught by full-time faculty as well as adjunct instructors, which provided a balance of theory- and practical-based learning throughout the program. During the winter semester, I had the privilege of participating in the annual ULI Hines Student Competition, where we submitted a development proposal for underutilized lands in downtown Oakland in collaboration with students from the Planning and Architecture departments. My studies were further supplemented by my involvement with Western New York Chapter of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and through publishing an academic journal as a graduate assistant with Professor Daniel B. Hess. Together, these experiences, both academic and extracurricular, contributed significantly to my growth and learning throughout the program. 

My role as a development associate primarily involves supporting residential entitlements initiatives across my company's commercial portfolio. As a dominant player in Canada's retail real estate market, my company is seeking to secure mixed-use and residential permissions across many of our urban transit-connected sites. Accordingly, my role involves managing interdisciplinary consultant teams in the preparation of submission materials and liaising with municipal staff and community stakeholders to secure permissions for mixed-use residential intensification. 

The emphasis on preparing students for professional practice post-graduation was particularly evident. Professors and adjunct instructors in the MSRED program provided a wealth of practical knowledge to students from their professional practice in various fields within the real estate industry, whether legal, financial, construction, planning or otherwise. The program further supported students' post-graduation preparedness by providing us with program advisors and by pairing each student with two mentors. In combination with our coursework, these additional resources were instrumental in aiding students with summer placements, industry connections, and full-time employment opportunities that furthered UB's impact beyond the classroom.

I've had the benefit of having several industry mentors throughout my early professional career. During my time at UB, I was fortunate to be paired with two mentors through the MSRED program, who provided me with invaluable support throughout and after my studies. One mentor, was a graduate of UB's MSRED program working in Buffalo and offered me much guidance throughout my academic studies, having completed the same program a few years prior. The other, a Toronto based real estate executive, was instrumental for me in navigating Toronto's real estate industry towards the end of my studies as I transitioned from school to the workplace. While several individuals have positively influenced my early career in real estate development, I'm particularly grateful that the MSRED program connected me with additional mentors to guide my growth as a young professional.

Attempting to learn the many facets of the real estate development industry has been a learning curve. While my educational background was primarily planning-focused, a thorough understanding of other disciplines—including engineering, architecture, legal, and construction— is critical to the successful completion of any real estate project. The ability to learn enough about each respective discipline has been an important learning lesson for me as I engage with consultants, partners, and clients on my projects. Naturally, this is something developed over time, but I truly feel as though my graduate studies afforded me a foundational overview of the various disciplines within our industry that I intend to keep exploring in greater detail throughout my career.

One of my favorite ongoing projects consists of a proposed multi-tower mixed-use residential project, with good transit connectivity in a suburb of Toronto. I've particularly enjoyed this project as there have been significant revisions to the project to accommodate the interests of various stakeholders. Namely, the project is in a high-density zone, adjacent to City Hall, but also borders existing low-density residential dwellings. As such, in collaboration with the City and the community, we've been working collectively to develop a proposal that satisfies the interests of all involved parties—which I believe ultimately improves the eventual outcome that creates a better city for everyone.

In the next five years, I hope to further refine my skillset in managing complex real estate projects to attain greater responsibility in overseeing projects from initial conceptual stages through to construction. Real estate development projects have a long lifespan, and the longer I'm involved in a given project, the more I intend to learn about the processes that I have not yet encountered. In doing so, I hope to see my current projects realized and completed so I can tangibly experience the places I build that are currently only on paper.   

My advice for prospective students of the program, or UB generally, is to avoid narrowing your focus too much before you begin your professional journey. While it's important to have specific post-graduation ambitions, the program offered me the opportunity to explore courses and subject matter that I had not previously encountered, which furthered my learning and my appreciation for other related industries and disciplines. Exploring additional areas of interest can help deepen their understanding of their own areas of curiosity and expertise.