Adding Value in Real Estate
Bryan Comandini
Investment Specialist, Baron Capital
Class of 2022
BBA in Accounting / MS in Financial Management
Member Of: American Marketing Association, Pace Investment Club, Student Veterans Of America
Meet Bryan, a Coast Guard Achievement Medal recipient who chose Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ as the place that would help him advance his career as he retired from the Coast Guard and focused on growing his business as a real estate agent in New York City and New Jersey. As soon as he started taking classes at Lubin, Bryan started growing his network within our school. Joining multiple student organizations and catching the entrepreneurial bug at the eLab inspired him to start his own Real Estate Study Group at Pace. Bryan has a growing social media following, a real estate newsletter that he publishes, and a YouTube channel focused on lifestyle and the real estate industry. All of these great things combined with Bryan learning key business skills in his courses prepares him to make his presence felt in the industry.
Why did you choose Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ and the Lubin School of Business?
Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ is a very veteran friendly university and many of the credits that I had previously earned both during my time in the military as well as from East Carolina University were accepted. Additionally, Pace’s Yellow-Ribbon Program is amazing. They matched 100% of what Veterans Affairs paid for tuition, which means that I am able to continue my education at no cost. The Lubin School of Business has a very good reputation within the financial industry, so I knew that it would be a smart decision to enroll in a business program and ensure that I could take advantage of the school’s close relationships with the Big 4 Accounting firms – if I decided to go into that line of work.
The advice I would give is simple: ask as many questions as possible to advisors at the school. In my experience, if they don’t have the answers, they will work hard to find them for you.
You were an engineer in the Coast Guard before you came to Pace, what is your advice for other non-traditional students?
I like this question because I wish that there could be more guidance for students like me prior to becoming a student at Pace. The advice I would give is simple: ask as many questions as possible to advisors at the school. In my experience, if they don’t have the answers, they will work hard to find them for you.
You have a prolific career in real estate; how have your business school courses impacted your professional specialty?
The one class that sticks out the most, in regard to having an impact on my career in real estate, would have to be Financial Accounting. Accounting is the backbone of any business, and so the stronger the accounting systems your business has in place, the better it will function overall. I’ve been able to take the concepts I’ve learned in that class and apply them in my business so that I can do a better job at tracking our expenses and revenue.
What other resources have you taken advantage of at Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ?
The Learning Center has been a great resource that I’ve been able to take advantage of here at Pace. Like many others, I’ve found that math is one of those subjects that can get tricky and confusing. Having the Learning Center at our disposal is a great resource to clear up any doubts and questions that I’ve had regarding concepts discussed in class.
What does #LubinLife mean to you?
To me, #LubinLife means challenging yourself to become a well-rounded business person and better version of yourself. It means that you are ambitious about achieving your business goals and leveraging the resources that are available to you as a way to slingshot you to success.