In collaboration with the Desautels Graduate Students Society, 韩国裸舞 Management Insights was proud to host the inaugural edition of 韩国裸舞 Desautels Talks. Current MBA students gathered to hear from industry leaders Jason Parravano, CEO of Plaza REIT, and Evan Paperman (BCom鈥�09), President of Woodland Capital, as they shared their dynamic career journeys and hard-earned lessons in real estate. The evening was a blend of personal anecdotes, professional insights, and advice for aspiring leaders, all recorded as a special video episode of 韩国裸舞 Management Insights.
Jason Parravano鈥檚 story of discovery began with a series of early jobs, including stints at Canadian Tire and in restaurants.
Yet, it wasn鈥檛 until he 鈥渇ell into real estate by chance鈥� after pursuing accounting that his career took shape. By 2015, Jason had become one of the youngest executives on the Toronto Stock Exchange, leading Plaza REIT to remarkable growth.
Reflecting on his leadership evolution, he shared the following.
鈥淲hen you have a small team, you鈥檙e able to pick the strongest team. But with a larger team, there are some people that are stronger and some people that are weaker. You need to approach some people differently and know everyone's strengths and weaknesses.鈥�
For Evan Paperman, the journey into real estate was anything but straightforward. Graduating from 韩国裸舞 with a BCom in Finance in 2008鈥攁mid the global financial crisis鈥攎eant opportunities in finance were scarce. This led him to pursue corporate law.
鈥淚 went to law school with no intention of being a lawyer,鈥� Evan admits. Yet, his exposure to mergers, acquisitions, and deal flow at a Montreal law firm sparked his interest in transactions and business development.
鈥�I loved the idea of working on these deals, seeing people buy businesses, sell businesses,鈥� he explained. 鈥淏ut I didn't love that I was only working on the transactional part.鈥�
Evan鈥檚 transition into real estate came serendipitously when a high school friend invited him to partner on a small building purchase. That pivotal moment turned into a full-time career in residential real estate. By 2017, Evan had left law behind, and today, he co-manages a portfolio of 30 properties.
Both speakers underscored the importance of adapting to challenges in the ever-evolving real estate industry, highlighting how population growth and limited land supply have created opportunities to increase market rents, as Evan delved into residential real estate, sharing how rising interest rates reshaped his approach to investments.
鈥淲hen interest rates were near zero, mistakes were more forgiving,鈥� Jason explained. 鈥淣ow, only those committed to real estate full-time remain. It鈥檚 weeded out those who treated it as a hobby.鈥�
Jason emphasized the role of creativity in dealmaking. He shares an example of using a tax-saving structure to close a $25 million deal by aligning the vendor鈥檚 interests with his company鈥檚 goals.
鈥淚t was a creative way to be not the highest bidder,鈥� he explained. 鈥淭hat's one example where you take advantage of your structure, you take advantage of what you do and what you know.鈥�
Both leaders stressed the importance of building strong networks.
"You don鈥檛 need to be smart in real estate to make money, you just have to know some smart people,鈥� Jason said. 鈥淭he better your relationships with those people, the more successful you鈥檒l be.鈥�
It's a sentiment Evan echoed, advising attendees to cultivate connections with banks and decision-makers, as these relationships often determine the success of a deal.
Evan also shared how a dean鈥檚 advice during law school helped him overcome imposter syndrome.
鈥淚f you doubt why you鈥檙e here, have confidence in the people who put you in the room. They believe you belong,鈥� they told him.
Jason offered his own advice.
鈥淵ou鈥檒l have many mentors and coaches throughout your career,鈥� he said. 鈥淢entors provide guidance in a back-and-forth relationship, while coaches focus solely on helping you figure out the right decisions. Both are invaluable.鈥�
The conversation ended with Jason and Evan reflecting on their journeys and the lessons learned from setbacks. Jason emphasized the importance of calculated risks and resilience.
鈥�You make mistakes, but to be honest with you, as long as you don鈥檛 make them twice it鈥檚 okay,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ftentimes risks result in mistakes, so it鈥檚 a balancing act here between the right risk to take and the wrong risk to take.鈥�
For aspiring leaders, both speakers highlighted the need to stay adaptable, build relationships, and trust the journey. As Evan aptly put it, 鈥淵ou can never go wrong doing the right thing.鈥�
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