Who did you meet with today?

Today we met with Rob Nickell and Jessica Ward.

Where do they work? What does the company do?

Rob Nickell and Jessica Ward work at HJ Sims, a private, family-owned company founded in 1935. HJ Sims works with schools and non-profit organizations. It finds investors for a school’s campus, negotiates a deal between both parties, raises funds for the project, and, in the end, the school has its new school building.

What did you learn today? What were some highlights?

We learned that there are many different approaches to becoming an investment banker today. The greatest highlight was understanding that a school is like a business; it has to be run like a business for everyone in the school to be happy and for all students to have equal opportunities.

What insights did you gain into the field of real estate development?

I learned the importance of investment bankers in school projects or any other business. Bankers help the schools tell their stories to find the best investors and help schools focus on the long-term goals they have set.

What did you find the most interesting about the field in the field after today?

The most intriguing thing I found out about investment bankers is that the process of becoming an investment banker now is such a great difference than what it was about 20 years ago. Now more licenses are required to be able to be able to do certain things whereas before those licenses were not needed.

 

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