HFF Internships: Building a Foundation for Your Future

“After my summer internship experience, I recognized that the HFF culture and capital markets platform would provide me with the best environment to pursue the American dream.” – Bercut Smith, HFF analyst and former HFF intern

HFF's summer interns got more than an introduction to commercial real estate; they received an in-depth look at the CRE industry by working alongside brokers and analysts on commercial real estate transactions and being an integral member of the HFF team. 

Sixty-seven interns from 44 colleges and universities comprised this year's HFF Summer Intern Class of 2018. They went on site visits; researched properties, markets and trends; assisted in the creation of marketing materials, prepared rent and sales comparables on various property types; provided support for RFP creation; went on property tours; attended pitches and participated in lunch and learns with HFF team members. Some offices had their interns complete and end of internship presentation in order to get real-world presentation experience (see below image from HFF's Denver interns). Additionally, some offices provided training for their interns on ARGUS, a popular commercial real estate software program.

University of Texas at Austin student Patrick Murray interned in HFF Austin's office because he sought an internship that would expect him to contribute in a meaningful way.

"My expectations were far surpassed by the experience I got at HFF during the summer," Murray said. "I was treated as a part of the team, given as much real work as I could handle and received invaluable advice from everyone with whom I worked. While I undoubtedly will benefit from the tangible, hard skills that I received at HFF, it will be the lessons learned on how treat clients, competitors and coworkers with honesty and integrity that will resonate with me most down the road."  

In addition to gaining valuable experience, internships can make one a more attractive job candidate after graduation and help someone get their foot in the door. Such was the case for HFF Denver analyst Tyler Dumon, who interned with HFF several times before transitioning into a full-time role once he was graduated from the University of Denver. Mr. Dummon was an intern in the fall of 2013 and the summer of 2014. He even continued to work for HFF part-time as a real estate coordinator three times a week during his senior year before accepting a full-time job offer to become an analyst following graduation.   

"My multiple internships at HFF throughout my last two years of college allowed me the opportunity to have an 'extended-interview' process, proving that I was the best candidate for a new position upon graduation," Dumon said. "In addition having nearly 18 months of on-the-job experience provided me a valuable leg-up as I transitioned to a full-time role, allowing me to hit the ground running on day one."

Below is a list of HFF's 2018 Summer Intern Class. Please click here to learn more about HFF's Internship program. 

HFF Atlanta

• Owen Averbuch, Vanderbilt University
• Holland Whitaker, University of Georgia

HFF Austin

• Jaylynn Davenport, Texas State University
• Bennett Holcome, University of Texas at Austin
• Patrick Murray, University of Texas at Austin

HFF Boston

• Seth Goldstein, Williams College
• Matthew Harrity, Boston College
• Aashay Mehta, Cornell University
• Jennifer Nasser, Roger Williams University

HFF Carolinas

• Stephen Klemash, Wake Forest University
• Matthew Sadiker, University of Georgia

HFF Chicago

• Caroline Bryan, Claremont McKenna College
• Anthony Deras, Tulane University
• Daniel DeMarco, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Jack Piermarini, University of Texas at Austin 
• Clayton Lesniak, University of Wisconsin-Madison

HFF Dallas

• Mia Blackman, University of Texas at Austin
• Séamus Comerford, Southern Methodist University
• Jack Crow, University of Texas at Austin
• Matthew Galvan, Texas A&M University

HFF Denver

• Chris Dumais, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Jarrod Dutton, University of Colorado-Boulder
• Kevin Ken, University of Texas at Austin

HFF Houston

• Charles Alcorn, University of Texas at Austin
• Kyle Bustamante, University of Houston
• Andrew Giammalva, University of Texas at Austin
• Katherine Miller, Texas A&M University
• Mohammadali Naraghi, University of Texas at Austin
• Michael Pizzitola, University of Texas at Austin
• Thomas Weber, University of Arkansas

HFF Indianapolis

• Chase Bettner, Miami University
• Logan Roston, University of Cincinnati

HFF London

• Hugo Maudsley, Exeter University
• Nicholas Wilson, University of Michigan

HFF Los Angeles

• Alex Elbogen, University of Arizona
  
• Alethia Halamandaris, University of Southern California

HFF Miami

• Michael Basinski, University of Miami
• Michael Germi, University of Florida
• Artem Pobiyakho, University of Southern California

HFF New Jersey

• Matthew Lanigan, Washington and Lee University
• Carlos Manuel Silva, Rutgers University

HFF New York

• Nikhil Chuchra, Cornell University
• Andrew Dickerman, University of Pennsylvania
• Jonathan Faxon, Colgate University
• Alexander Robles, University of Pennsylvania
• Rob Root, Wake Forest University
• Maria-Elena Svigos, University of Wisconsin- Madison

HFF Orange County

• Bailey Bland, Southern Methodist University
• Jacob Fideler, California Polytechnic State University
• Dixon Kavanaugh, University of California, Berkeley
• Jacob Russell, University of Southern California

HFF Orlando

• Bennett Hopkins, University of Central Florida

HFF Philadelphia

• Kishan Patel, Temple University
• Riley Raposa, University of Alabama

HFF Portland

• Christopher Dowhaniuk, Oregon State University (Portland)
• Grant Gooding, University of Oregon (Portland)

HFF Seattle

• Nicolas Smistad, Washington State University (Seattle)

HFF San Diego

• Niema Beglari, University of Arizona
• Bryce Goldsen, University of Southern California
• Alyssa Faughn, San Diego State University
• Jack Piegza, Cornell University

HFF San Francisco

• Kailee Evans, San Francisco State University
• Aran Nafisi, Fordham University

HFF Tampa

• Bailey Smith, Florida State University

HFF Washington, D.C.

• Griffin Coulter, Tufts University
• John Lynch, Georgetown University
• Jillian Murray, Columbia University