The College of Business and the Center for Investment and Real Estate Finance, in conjunction with Land Title Guarantee hosted “Development: Old School, New School and the Road in Between” on December 3, 2003. The seminar included a mandatory commission update course for real estate professionals as well as a panel discussion with Ted Shepard the Chief Planner at the City of Fort Collins acting as moderator. Panel members included Bob Everitt, Chad McWhinney, Don Marostic, and Bill Neal. The afternoon concluded with a networking opportunity at the University Park Holiday Inn.

The seminar was well attended as approximately 170 real estate professionals and others were treated to the knowledge of the esteemed panel. The panel identified how the retail sector in northern Colorado has seen great growth this past year with construction of new shopping centers and proposed new lifestyle centers in Loveland and Fort Collins as well as a new health care facility and the new Larimer County Fairgrounds. However, the panel also raised concerns that retail is not the ideal sector upon which to base a stable economy. Great retail numbers don’t “mean much without good jobs” was Don Marostica’s observation. The panel agreed that job growth in technology, research and development and other traditional areas would be necessary for a stable and healthy economy. Another topic was the fact that the cities and towns of Northern Colorado will need to work together to find successful answers about the region’s transportation and infrastructure challenges.