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Creating and Sustaining Thriving Communities Worldwide Through ULI Membership with Wes Craiglow, AICP – Ep. 45
About the Guest
I am extremely excited to share this next conversation with all of you. Wes Craiglow is the Northwest Arkansas Coordinator for the Urban Land Institute. In this capacity, he is responsible for uniting the mission of ULI with NWA real estate trends and land-use professionals through the use of technical assistance, events, and leader development. Before joining ULI as the NWA Coordinator, Wes worked as a Planner and Deputy Director for Planning for over 10 years at the City of Conway, Arkansas. While studying Geography at UCA, Wes got a taste of how the built environment impacts the behaviors of individuals within the community. He then took this a step further in understanding and obtained a Master’s Degree in Community and Economic Development.
ULI is a member-driven organization dedicated to advancing leadership in the responsible use of land and creating and sustaining thriving communities. At its core, ULI is the sum of its members, who themselves deliver the ULI mission, positively shaping the future of real estate and land use disciplines in ways that lead to the development of built environments that better serve more people. ULI members include real estate developers, builders, owners, finance and investment professionals, brokers, architects, engineers, urban planners, public officials, and more.
In this episode, we are going to discuss the importance of the Urban Land Institute’s Mission, how members can benefit from the ULI Organization, and all about the various events that ULI hosts in order to provide benefit to its members. There is loads of great information in this episode and I greatly appreciated Wes for taking the time out of his extremely busy schedule to discuss this topic of real estate development and the Urban Land Institute with me.
As always, if you have enjoyed the show, please subscribe to the show and share it with your friends in the industry. There will be more exciting conversations on the shows to come.
Main Take-Away’s From This Show
This was another fun episode to record. I thoroughly enjoyed Wes candidly sharing his story as well as the story of the Urban Land Institute. Wes is extremely passionate about the ULI organization, so I figured there was no one better to discuss the mission of this organization. His enthusiasm for the organization was evident when discussing the benefits of the organization to its members. There were so many great talking points that Wes made throughout the discussion, so it is hard to just pick three for my main take-away’s this week. The following main topics of the show come from an understanding in the mission of Urban Land Institute that Wes possesses.
1. ULI was started as a member network by real estate developers that wanted to share knowledge and network almost 85 years ago.
2. Networking and Education are essentially the two main pillars of benefits provided to members of ULI.
3. ULI is the “second-most” important membership that someone in the industry should be a part of.
As always, I will dig into each of these “take-away’s” every week on the blog. So, without further a due, here we go!
ULI was started as a member network by real estate developers that wanted to share knowledge and network almost 85 years ago.
According to ULI.org, “The National Real Estate Foundation for Practical Research and Education—the predecessor to the Urban Land Institute—is chartered in Illinois, with Walter S. Schmidt as its first president on December 14th, 1936. The model is that of a real estate college—a school of urbiculture—that could stand as an objective and recognized source of research and education, governed by a board of real estate professionals.”
Since it’s humble beginnings in 1936, the organization has grown to over 45,000 members globally. The organization has expanded to include individuals from all over the real estate spectrum. This provides an opportunity for “cross-pollination” of ideas and connections between industry leaders. As mentioned, this organization includes not only real estate developers, it includes financiers, brokers, design professionals, planners, and those in the public sector.
Although the name of the organization has changed over the years, the main mission of the origination has remained the same. By providing opportunities to gain knowledge and create a network of professionals, ULI truly embodies its mission to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide.
Networking and Education are essentially the two main pillars of benefit provided to members of ULI.
“Interdependent people combine their own efforts with the efforts of others to achieve their greatest success.” – Stephen Covey
Who does not love networking? One of the most beneficial pillars of benefit provided by the organization is the network that comes along with it. With over 45,000 members, ULI has become an excellent place to meet real estate professionals from all walks of life that have a common goal and mission. Networking with these individuals can produce opportunities and ideas that may not be open to those that are not included in the organization. It’s important to rise out of your industry silo to see what others are doing in other related industries as they most often affect each other. That is where this idea of networking is so important. This networking can take place in the social events, the educational events, or even the virtual events that ULI hosts.
The other, and arguably more beneficial, pillar of the ULI organization is on Education. The education piece is interwoven into all of the activities and events produced by the ULI. With almost 85 years of experience woven into the fabric of the organization, there is much knowledge to gain from joining the organization.
As Wes mentioned, the accumulated knowledge from the last 85 years is provided for those within the organization to gain and learn from. Publications have been provided to distribute this knowledge since the organization’s inception. The ULI also provides many opportunities to learn in the way of virtual and in-person events with industry professionals speaking on the various trends in the trade. You can even learn while having a cocktail with other professionals in the real estate world during the various networking and social events. Education is truly entwined into the fabric of the Urban Land Institute’s culture.
ULI is the “second-most” important membership that someone in the industry should be a part of.
This last main point is one that is almost too simple, but often overlooked by those in the real estate industry. Each professional in the industry seems to have their own personal industry-specific organization they join. This could be AIA for architects, ASLA for landscape architects, or CCIM for brokers.
These are incredibly important for learning industry-specific knowledge. That is why Wes mentioned that ULI should be the “second-most” important membership that someone in the real estate industry should be a part of.
It is important that you stay on top of the trends happening in your own industry. This is how you stay “sharp”. There is something to be said however to understanding what is happening around you. This is where the ULI can benefit your career. By networking and learning side-by-side with others in the industry that are not specifically included in your focus, you can begin to understand things from a greater vantage point. I think this helps you to become more well-rounded as a real estate professional. As a design professional, I think it is extremely important for me to understand the problems that financiers, and brokers deal with. This helps me realize better ways to serve my clients and address the needs of others within the industry.
As you can see from the take-aways above, this podcast episode was absolutely full of great information on making it in real estate development and the benefits of joining an organization such as ULI. As always, if you have enjoyed the content and the show, please subscribe to the show below and share with your friends in the industry! We’ll have many more great discussions on the shows to come.
To Learn More About Wes Craiglow and The Urban Land Institute, Check out the Following Websites:
Recommended Reading Section
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