10-26-2026
The Purdue Real Estate Society welcomed three industry professionals to campus on October 6, giving students an inside look at both the opportunities and challenges of building a career in brokerage within commercial real estate. The panel featured Matt Carroll with ALO Property Group, Brooke Ratcliff with Cushman & Wakefield, and Clayton Isacson with Marcus & Millichap.
Throughout the discussion, the panelists emphasized the importance of being dedicated and focused, especially during the early stages of your career. Carroll, a 2006 Purdue graduate and former member of the Purdue men’s basketball team, drew connections between his experience as a student-athlete and the start of his professional career. The countless hours of practice and putting in effort has stuck with him, and he applies that work ethic to brokerage.
Carroll also highlighted how “brokerage is not for everyone” and how knowing that early on helped allow for a pivot into another career in real estate.
Students asked questions about how to connect and build trust with prospective clients. Isacson, a 2021 University of Illinois graduate, talked to students about his initial curiosity in sales, which started at a young age. He was always a people-person and never shy about talking to anybody, including people walking on the sidewalk in front of his childhood home. The newly appointed managing director and market leader of the Marcus & Millichap Indianapolis office advised students to leverage what they are naturally good at and to find a career where those capabilities can shine.
One major takeaway that resonated with students was the importance of how to make the most out of their time while at Purdue. Ratcliff, a 2025 Purdue graduate with a Finance major and Real Estate Finance minor, credits her initial interest in real estate to the program and club. She took advantage of all the opportunities and events, and that exposure led her to networking with the right people in the business.
This panel was just one of several events each semester hosted by the Purdue Real Estate Society to help students learn about careers in commercial real estate and connect students with industry professionals.
