City Of Wilmington: Mayor Purzycki Shares Announcement About The Buccini/Pollin Group's Graduation Of Inaugural BPG University Interns

Press release from the City of Wilmington:

08/06/2021 11:30 AM

Mayor Mike Purzycki is pleased to share the following announcement from the Buccini/Pollin Group about the graduation of BPG U’s inaugural class of paid summer interns. The BPGU program for local high school students interested in learning about real estate development kicked off on June 21 and ended July 13, 2021. The BPG news release about the graduation is presented below.

Mayor Mike Purzycki is pleased to share the following announcement from the Buccini/Pollin Group about the graduation of BPG U’s inaugural class of paid summer interns. The BPGU program for local high school students interested in learning about real estate development kicked off on June 21 and ended July 13, 2021. 

The Buccini/Pollin Group Graduates Inaugural Class of BPG University
In July, seven local students successfully completed the company’s first internship program designed explicitly for high school students

The Buccini/Pollin Group Graduates Inaugural Class of BPG University In July, seven local students successfully completed the company’s first internship program designed explicitly for high school students

Wilmington-based developer The Buccini/Pollin Group (BPG) is proud to graduate its inaugural class of BPG University (BPG U) interns. On July 13th, seven local high school students successfully completed BPG’s first internship program designed explicitly for high school students to learn all aspects of real estate development prior to finishing high school. With a strong focus on professional development, the goal of the internship program is to expose students to a variety of potential careers with all levels of education requirements and connect them with pathways for future employment either at BPG or other real estate and construction firms.

During the 3-week paid program, students worked together to complete a mock development project from start to finish, interacting with each department at BPG along the way, from acquisitions & finance to leasing & marketing to development & construction to procurement & operations. Through this rotational model, interns learned the various ways teams work together to bring a project to fruition at BPG. Upon completion of BPG U, each student left with a portfolio of work and a network of ongoing mentors committed to their continued success.

The program began on June 18th and was held at BPG’s headquarters in Downtown Wilmington, where students were exposed to all aspects of the corporate environment including the soft-skills trainings necessary to enter this type of workplace. In addition, the curriculum incorporated various guest speakers and offsite fieldtrips for a comprehensive understanding of BPG’s extensive portfolio and the various government officials and community leaders BPG associates interact with on a daily basis.

A diverse pool of applicants were sourced with assistance from community partners, such as Goodwill of Delaware, NCC Vocational Technical Schools, Delaware Office of Work-Based Learning, Serviam Girls Academy, Reach Riverside, and The Warehouse. After a competitive interview process, the seven students selected displayed an eagerness to learn the ins and outs of real estate and are actively engaged in various local and national extra-curriculars, including Network Connect, One Village Alliance, The Win Factory, Jack and Jill of America, and The Achievers Program.

Following the program, several students expressed interest in pursuing a career in real estate development and have already reached out to take advantage of the networking opportunities introduced by BPG U.   

“The goal of the program was really to inspire interest in future career paths by providing real-world work experience in an office setting,” said Sarah Lamb, Vice President of Design, Marketing, & Community Outreach for The Buccini/Pollin Group. “Each and every one of these students has a bright future ahead of them, and we are humbled to have even had the slightest impact on their professional development. We will consider the program a success when our students return after high school to apply for our college internships, post-graduate positions, and so forth.”

“I had no idea what to expect when I joined the program,” said Grace Umoren-Udo, rising senior at Appoquinimink High School. “Rather than a typical internship, BPGU, like a university, gave us multifaceted education in real estate. My fellow interns and I came ready and eager to learn and left full of inspiration and aspirations for our future careers. It's undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

BPG U is an associate-led youth development initiative conceived in an effort to address some of the inequalities that exist in our community and increase diversity in the industry. BPG will continue to host the program on an annual basis with the hope that other companies in Wilmington see its value and offer similar youth development opportunities.

“As leaders in our community, we want to use our platform and resources as a positive force for change in Wilmington,” said De’Joun Lee, BPG U Program Coordinator. “While developing the program, we searched for other local companies with similar internship opportunities but could not find anything comparable to what we plan to achieve. In the future, we hope BPG U will serve as a model for neighboring companies to express their commitment to the youth of our community.”

For more information on how to get involved with BPG University or adopt a similar program at your company, please email BPGU@bpgroup.net. 

For photos of the BPG U Class of 2021, please click here to download.  

BPG Cares is a collection of associates at The Buccini/Pollin Group who are passionate about fulfilling a company-wide plan that establishes goals and strategy around community engagement, corporate giving, and efforts to create a more equitable community.  BPG Cares currently has working groups with focused efforts in the areas of Workforce Development, Retail and Placemaking, Youth Development and Advocacy, Giving & Ongoing Outreach (Volunteering & Charitable Giving). For more information, please email outreach@bpgroup.net.
 
About The Buccini/Pollin Group
The Buccini/Pollin Group, Inc. (Buccini/Pollin) is a privately held, integrated real estate acquisition, development and management company co-headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware and Chevy Chase, Maryland. For over 25 years, Buccini/Pollin has developed and acquired hotel, office, residential, retail, and parking properties throughout the United States.

Buccini/Pollin has acquired, developed and owns real estate assets having a value in excess of $5.0 billion, including over 40 hotels, 7 million square feet of office and retail space, 15 major residential communities, and multiple entertainment venues, including Subaru Park Stadium, home of the Philadelphia Union Major League Soccer team and the 76ers Fieldhouse, home of the 76ers G-League affiliate the Delaware Blue Coats. Buccini/Pollin has third-party experience in multiple markets with adaptive re-use and mixed-use development, most recently, the 28-acre Lower Hill redevelopment in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The principals of Buccini/Pollin, along with PM Hotel Group (hotel operating company), BPG | 360 (office property management and leasing), ResideBPG (residential property management and leasing), BPGS Construction, LLC (construction management), and BPG | Sports (sports management) oversee all aspects of project acquisition, finance, development, construction, leasing, operations, and disposition for its portfolio properties. The Buccini/Pollin Group has over 3,500 employees in 12 states. For more information, please visit www.bpgroup.net.

COMMUNITY AND MEDIA INQUIRIES: 

Claire Nester
The Buccini/Pollin Group
Phone: (302) 442-4130
Email: cnester@bpgroup.net 

John Rago
Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Communications
City of Wilmington, Office of the Mayor
Mobile: (302) 420-7928
Email: jrago@WilmingtonDE.gov

This press release was produced by the City of Wilmington. The views expressed here are the author’s own.