What started as a small group of students meeting informally to discuss career opportunities and educate themselves about the real estate field has now become one of BYU-Idaho’s fastest growing societies on campus. 

The BYUI Real Estate Investment & Development Society (REIDS) was officially approved in the spring of 2024 and was created by students who noticed that although the College of Business and Communication offers strong finance and business programs, no formal real estate track exists. 

“We created the club because the world I wanted to work in was incredibly niche,” said Taven Chamberlain, a finance major and the society’s co-founder. “BYU-Idaho is amazing at tailoring classes for certain professions, but real estate wasn’t one of them.”

Because real estate development touches multiple disciplines, Chamberlain spent several months seeking approval from different departments before officially running the society under the Construction Management Department. 

“It took six months of meetings,” Chamberlain said. “But we eventually got approved, and now we’re one of the only societies announced in five departments every week.”

Faculty advisor Sister Natalie Macbeth, of the Construction Management Department, said the society’s growth has been entirely student-driven.

“This started with a few students casually meeting together,” Macbeth said. “By winter 2024, we realized there was enough student interest and an untapped industry of career paths that an official society could be beneficial.”

Since this is a cross-departmental society, all majors are welcome to join and learn more about the real estate world, as well as gain experience that they can put on their resume. 

The real estate society offers hands-on training, industry networking, competitive case competitions and a post-graduation placement of 100%, according to the society’s leaders. 

“The society gives students exposure to the real estate industry that isn’t offered in any class,” said Tristan Farrow, a financial economics major and the current president of the society. “Through the club, I have been able to get two internships, one at a brokerage and another at a private equity firm."

The real estate society meets Wednesday nights from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Mark Austin Building, room 213. 

Meetings alternate between technical nights and industry professional guest speakers. 

During these meetings students regularly practice financial modeling, investment analysis and industry jargon, which are all skills typically taught in upper division real estate programs at other universities. 

These hours of preparation paid off when the society won first place at the annual real estate development case competition, hosted by BOMA Idaho, a chapter of BOMA International, in Boise.  

This fall, a team of society members spent about a month building a full development proposal and pitching it to an investment committee for a scholarship award.

“We met with the construction management department and got site plans and floor plans. We built a whole financial model and financial analysis and then we went to Boise and pitched it to the Investment committee as an investment and basically tried to sell them on the investment,” said Chamberlain. 

Chamberlain served on the committee for emerging professionals for BOMA International and suggested the idea of sponsoring case competitions for Idaho students to gain something they could put on their resumes when they apply for internships. 

“It’s an incredibly competitive industry, and it takes real effort to get internships, build a network, and learn the skills on your own, especially when the school doesn’t offer those classes. That’s why we started the club,” said Chamberlain.