By Nicole Atoyan ’17

On Friday, June 17th, fourteen members of the Real Estate Association (REA) toured the Empire State Building with Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), the brokers responsible for the building’s continued leasing.

The group toured the amenities of the building—the fitness center, the conference rooms, and the restaurants—and learned about the tenant mix and tenants’ growth throughout the building. One of the project’s brokers, Kip Orban, led a discussion about the Empire State Building’s competitive set and the factors prospective tenants commonly weigh when choosing between the Empire State Building and its competitors. Lastly, the group visited a vacant space on the 86th floor and ended with a question-and-answer session concerning prospective tenants.

Jen Gong, a newly-admitted student in Columbia Business Schools Executive MBA program and an Associate Project Manager for JLL, was instrumental in organizing the tour.

Nicole Atoyan ’17 is the VP of JTerm for the Real Estate Association at Columbia Business School. She is a first-year student focusing on real estate finance and credit markets. Nicole previously worked for IDS Real Estate Group in the Real Estate Services division.