Purdue University real estate students spent an eventful day visiting six different companies and commercial sites during their Indianapolis City Trek on April 10, 2025. The day began with a tour of one of the largest cold-storage facilities in North America, NewCold in Lebanon. Students then traveled to the tallest building in Indiana, the Salesforce Tower. While enjoying the views from the top floor, students learned about the differences in landlord and tenant representation from Michael Semler, managing partner at Semler Commercial Real Estate Services, and Dave Moore, managing director of Cushman & Wakefield, Indianapolis.
Back on solid ground, they headed to Simon Property Group headquarters to learn about career options in commercial real estate and had an opportunity to network with Purdue alumni and other Simon employees in a variety of role. A short walk later, Mark Tomyn of Keystone Group gave students a tour of the luxurious InterContinental Indianapolis just one month after the hotel’s grand opening. The InterContinental is a $120 million restoration of the 100-year-old Illinois Building.
Next, the students received a tour of the Box Factory Development on Massachusetts Avenue by Antone Najem of Third Street Ventures, followed by advice about starting real estate careers from a panel consisting of Alison Birge, president of Village Capital Corporation; Sam Garvin, senior associate broker, Premier Commercial Real Estate Services; and Jenna Barnett, national build-to-suit at Pure Development.
A short walk later, Mark Tomyn of Keystone Group led a tour of the newly opened InterContinental Indianapolis, a $120 million restoration of the 100-year-old Illinois Building. The hotel had celebrated its grand opening just one month prior.
The day concluded with a student-industry networking reception at Pure Development’s new headquarters, adjacent to the Box Factory. Students had the opportunity to connect with 30 Purdue alumni working in a variety of commercial real estate careers.
Learn more about Purdue's Dean V. White Real Estate Finance Program.
